Welcome Indaba Delegates

http://www.indaba-southafrica.co.za/Indaba is Africa's top travel show and allows tour operators and tourism delegates from around the world to visit South Africa and Africa's showcase of hotels, Safari and game parks and lodges, and tour attractions. Almost 14 000 delegates converge on Durban for this annual show which is now   Africa's largest such showcase of our finest resorts and attractions.

Welcome to exhibit and stand designer Nicolas, as well as Eddie and Dawid seen here with Guesthouse owners Dave (left) and Llewellyn (right) as we welcome arriving Indaba guests to the guesthouse for a drink in the pub.

Redecorating

The Pool Room at the Guesthouse gets an upgrade this week ahead of Durban's Tourism Indaba which kicks off on Friday. Dave and Llewellyn, guesthouse owners pitch in with the repainting and new decor.

Fun at the guesthouse

Here for the tourism Indaba in Durban, the boys and girls from Gay Flag SA officially hand over a large SA rainbow flag to Dave for the Guesthouse. Thanks guys for joining us at the guesthouse and making it a lively evening and braai.

Eugene, "Lola Fine", Henry and Dave

Henry, Llewellyn and Eugene

Welcome Indaba guests

It's the annual tourism Indaba in Durban, starting tomorrow - it's Africa's biggest tourism show and the whole world will  be in Durban. Our chance to showcase what South African hotels, safari lodges, tour operators, guesthouses and tourism authorities have to offer.

We welcome a guesthouse full load of guests - great to have you guys with us. Tomorrow (Fri 7pm) we are having a bring-and-braai at the guesthouse, so please feel free to join us.

Dave and Llewellyn

Indaba Showcase

Taking a quick spin-around Indaba didn't really do justice to the magnificent displays.

It is actually quite incredible what a beautiful country we live in and amazing to see such entrepeneurship and industry to keep tourists coming to Southern Africa and happy. On display was every tourist's conceivable honeymoon destination, package deal or safari expedition. Wow!!

Congratulations to all the exhibitors from Southern Africa, as well as the invitation exhibitors from further afield in Africa and the Indian Ocean.

We are the world's playground and may your efforts to promote tourism in South Africa be richly rewarded.

Indaba breakfast

Getting breakfast going for the Indaba guests involved a joint effort between Llewellyn baking muffins and Dave making an egg soufle' at the crack of dawn before setting off to work for the day, leaving Caroline to look after the guests.

Indaba Guests from Eastern Cape

Meet Guesthouse owners from the Addo Elephant Park area in the Eastern Cape, Oscar and Diedrich, seen here in Durban with Dave, co-owner of Durban View Guesthouse. The Dutch couple emigrated to South Africa 3 years ago and bought the Guesthouse Lemon 3 Lodge which is enjoying the increased tourism of the Eastern Cape. They are represented on the Addo Tourism stand at the Indaba show in Durban taking place now.

Welcome Indaba Guests

 Welcome to Indaba guests, delegates and visitors to Durban - for this vital and Africa's top travel show.

We in Durban appreciate the opportunity to host this event and to ensure that our visitors see Durban and South Africa's showcased  hospitality industry in the best possible light. 

We hope that you all achieve the success you wish for out of this short window to the world period.



As we have done over the past few years, Llewellyn and I will be visiting the show and hoping to showcase our own guesthouse as an exclusive gay destination in Durban.

Llewellyn at last year's Indaba Show

Welcome to Shisa

Welcome to Joe from the fun Guesthouse north of Cape Town - Shisa, where the locals go to play.

It's always a bit intimidating to have other guesthouse owner's come stay with us, like for the annual Indaba Tourism Conference in May each year, but then it's also a good opportunity to network and get to know the other gay operators in South Africa. We will be sure to visit you guys soon. We love trips to Cape Town, especially since my son is now studying there, so it's a chance to visit him, drink wine in Stellenbosch and play.

The boys from Cape Town

Hats off to the boys from Cape Town who exhibited (ha ha, no pun) at the Indaba Tourism Show this week. The Show ended with a Pink Party at the Guesthouse and as you can see from the pics we all had a load of fun.

I can't remember all of the names, but will pick out some and send a link to the email addresses we collected. So if you guys are reading this and want to add a name and a link, just leave a comment or email me at durbanview@gmail.com and I will do.

So thanks Jason for organising. In the pics I see Louis, Petra, Llewellyn, Jason, 3rd pic - myself, Llewellyn and Claude, Brian and Deon, Brian and Jason at the Cape Town stand at Indaba and in the last pic friends with Jason of Tulbach. Dave

Durban Indaba shows the world

South Africa's Tourism Indaba (Zulu for "Meeting" or "gathering") is Africa's largest travel show and has been held for the past 12 years by popular demand in Durban.

Today we became tourists in our own country and visited the show to see what Africa has to offer the world. The Indaba attracts over 12 000 delegates representing the tourism industry world-wide who come to see the showcase of Southern African and Indian Ocean islands travel opportunties.

In the photos (from top) Durban Stadium View Guesthouse co-owner Dave on the 1st floor of the South African Airways stand at the Indaba show, a photo of the Durban Moses Mabhida Stadium forming part of the Art exhibition at Indaba, Guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn at the Indaba entrance, a footballer sculpture in wire, beads and lights representing the FIFA World Cup event, also represented widely at the show, and Coenie, with Llewellyn, guest and representing (gay town) Greyton and Lambert's Bay. In the last photo, Dave  blasts a vuvuzela, the local form of trumpet used to herald and make noise at soccer events locally.

Durban Tourism Indaba 8th - 11th May

May is tourism month in Durban - Africa's biggest tourism showcase to the world.

According to the organisers "this year’s INDABA is going to be an incredible event where product-owners get to showcase their products to the international media in a big way AND where the media will get all the inside info on SA’s hot new attractions, establishments and experiences."

Approximately 12 000 trade and media representatives will be in Durban and hotel groups, Safari lodges, tour operators and representatives from every facet of the hospitality and tourism industry will be showcasing the best we have on offer for the international tourist.

We will be hosting some of those representatives at the Guesthouse and are looking forward to meeting them all and being part of this important event on the South African tourism calendar.

Indaba Winners

Our Guesthouse hosted two Hotel/Lodge winners the one presented at the Durban Indaba Conference by AA Travel Guides American Express Accommodation Awards - second from left (above) is Karl Germann from The Nest Hotel in the Drakensburg (Best Leisure Hotel) seen with Corne' (left), Guesthouse co-owner Llewellyn, and Berry of Pangea Travel (Netherlands delegate). In the second photo is Eddie Rust of Mhondoro Lodge, runner up in the Good Safari Guides "Best Food and new Lodge" category.

Well done guys and thanks for coming from such illustrious establishments to join us at our guesthouse.

And in the 3rd photo, enjoying breakfast at the Guesthouse after a gruelling 4 days at Indaba is Jacob of SA Travel Centre Holidays of Cape Town. Go well and for those returning to Indaba next year, we look forward to catching up with you again.

Tourism Indaba draws near

Getting ready for Indaba 2008, the huge South African travel conference taking place in Durban in 10 days time, here is Llewellyn (guesthouse co-owner) with the new headboard for the City View room we installed today. The design was inspired by a seat in a restaurant at Frankfort airport and was made by us carefully cutting out the design from a photo of the original and with imported fabrics to match the colour scheme of the room.