GAUTENG Tourism Authority (GTA) the official destination marketing agency for the Gauteng City Region is moving full steam ahead at this year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba with a dedicated Music, Sports and Wellness Tourism promotion starting from May 13 to 15, 2025 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, Durban.
Following from a bumper sporting and cultural weekend with two Gauteng soccer giants battling it out for the NEDBANK Cup Finals, to Bafana Bafana’s African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualification and Amajita (SA Under 20 National Team) securing quarter final spot at the Under 20 AFCON in Egypt, the national happiness index is truly raving high.
Africa’s Travel Indaba (ATI) attracts over 9000 participants made up of exhibitors, travel trade buyers, hoteliers, policy makers, speakers, media and guests from over 26 countries generating annually $1210million in direct tourism revenue.
For the golden province of Gauteng, this we believe offers us a lucrative opportunity to present, leverage and upsell our world-class sporting, wellness and music tourism offerings to push us back to pre-pandemic tourism growth numbers and performance.
As part of the destination GAUTENG showcase this year, we will be pioneering a dedicated #SportingGP and #MusicalGP themes, where we will showcase and celebrate our sporting tourism offerings in the province including our golden teams, players, fans, artists, genres, iconic events, venues, and everything that characterizes the sports entertainment, lifestyle, and music culture.
Buoyant by Mamelodi Sundown’s colourful march to the CAF Champions League Finals, heroic performance by our provincial rugby and cricket teams, the return of boxing into our sports entertainment arenas, the NBA Africa Games, hey Neighbour, Delicious International Food & Music, Joy of Jazz, 702 Walk The Talk, Soweto Marathon, Spring Fiesta and a host of Rugby and Cricket test matches, Golf Tournaments and G20 inspired sports entertainment activities, the calendar is always packed in the golden province.
Our plan is to introduce new tour operators, tourists’ guides, destination marketing companies (DMCs) and new products like the Kaizer Chiefs Naturena Base, the SA Sports Hall of Fame and the Dome at FNB Stadium, Flame and Downtown studios at Constitution Hill and Auckland Park respectively, to the market and engender transformation.
With quality sports entertainment facilities in our townships and the support from our marketing partners like the Gautrain, Gauteng is looking forward to positive reception by the markets on this new focus.
The recent declaration of the MANDELA Legacy World Heritage Sites Series, the reopening of the World Heritage Site Sterkfontein Caves and the hosting of the G20 World Leaders Summit enjoins us to equally leverage and prioritise co-creation and partnership led showcase of these through the many meetings and sessions we are going to be participating at during the ATI and beyond.
The golden province will specifically be focusing on growing economic value and strategic importance of tourism cantered sporting, lifestyle and music festivals/concerts events.
What makes this sector valuable is the spending power from visitors attending sports and music events on travel, accommodation, food and merchandise, the boost the local economy generates and global appeal and accessibility through digital technology and ticketing which have made it easier to attract global tourists.
Most importantly the hosting of iconic events elevates South Africa’s profile and in this case the Gauteng City Region.
Gauteng is ideally positioned to capitalize on this trend due to its existing infrastructure, vibrant urban culture and a calendar rich with events, says Gauteng Tourism CEO- Sthembiso Dlamini.
With strategic planning, investment and strong public private partnership, sports and music tourism can become a cornerstone of Gauteng economic future, adds Dlamini.
Image (Dep Pres Paul Mashatile, opened the 2025 Travel Indaba, in Durban today).
