28 REGION AFRICA &
28 REGION AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST Inanda Heritage Route: An Inspiring South African offering From Gandi to Mandela, discover the roots of South African democracy to the north of Durban The Inanda Heritage Route, located 30km north of Durban, South Africa, is a cradle of South Africa’s democracy. Filled with cultural, heritage and historical sites, visitors can discover the political landscape where South African racial equality was crafted by the likes of Dr John Dube, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. The Route is a must-visit for tourists in the vicinity of Durban. Stop one on the Route is the Phoenix Settlement, where the young lawyer Mahatma Gandhi arrived to represent an Indian client. After being thrown off a train for sitting in a ‘whites only’ section, Gandhi started his civil disobedience movement. It is here that Gandhi started to write his manifesto on non-violent resistance. Stop two is the settlement of Ekuphakameni, the original site of the Shembe Church (formally known as the Nazareth) founded by prophet Isaiah Shembe; while stop three is the Ohlange Institute, founded by the Rev Dr John Dube, which first opened its doors in 1901. Dube was an educator, editor and a founder and first president of the African National Congress (ANC). Significantly, this is where Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically-elected president, chose to cast his vote in the historic 1994 elections. Visitors looking to travel the Inanda Heritage Route have three options. They can firstly book through Durban Green Corridor at the Green Hub located at the mouth of the uMngeni River. The Durban Green Corridor travel agency will also provide a number of activities to do in and around Inanda Dam. In addition, tourists can contact Durban Tourism for a list of tour guides and operators offering half-day and full-day Inanda Heritage Route tours. Thirdly, self drive to Ohlange Institute. But take a guide if at all uncertain about driving through a settlement area Hall 20 / Stand 138 TOURISM INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT TO MOROCCO’S DEVELOPMENT CÔTE D’IVOIRE BOOSTS ARRIVALS - AND INFRASTRUCTURE Tourism Morocco has revealed that tourism is increasingly being considered by senior officials as a strategic sector to promote economic development. With global tourism demand accounting for 11.4% of national GDP, Tourism Morocco said that the travel industry contributes significantly to creating wealth and reducing unemployment and poverty. The sector is a major provider of employment, accounting for 515,000 direct jobs in 2016 (2017 data is not yet available) - around 5% of the total jobs in the country. Tourism Morocco said that the country’s tourism industry ended 2016 on a positive note, strengthened by the results achieved during the latter months. Non-resident tourist arrivals totalled 10.3 million, a 1.5% increase compared to 2015. Classified bed capacity also rose, with 11,290 additional beds available in 2016 Hall 21b / Stand 213 2017 was an excellent year for tourism in the west African nation, according to Jean-Marie Somet, General Director of Côte d’Ivoire Tourisme. “We welcomed around 1.5 million tourists last year boosted by international events such as Jeux de la Francophonie, or the 5 th Summit African Union- European Union”, he said. A major upcoming tourism opportunity for Côte d’Ivoire will be the hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations in 2021. “It will help boost our infrastructure by creating new roads, stadiums and construct hotels,” said Somet. “In the short term, we will organise the SITA, the International Tourism Exhibition of Abidjan from April 27 to May 1 2018, which is the largest travel exhibition organised in West Africa” explained Somet. Confidence in the destination is reflected in the high number of hotel projects by international chains such as Radisson Blu, Hilton, Azalai or Mövenpick. In terms of air transport, Côte d’Ivoire just signed an agreement with Spain to have direct flights. New airlines starting to link Abidjan this year are TAP Portugal to Lisbon, as well as Ethiopian Airlines to New York Hall 21a / Stand 112 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 9 th March 2018 www.itb-berlin-news.com
© Thomas Keller HOSPITALITY / RESTAURANTS / BARS WHERE TO GO IN Berlin CLUBS / EVENTS / SHOPPING / CULTURE Neukölln: A Melting Pot with a Fascinating Past Berlin’s most multicultural district is home to around 180 nationalities and an equal diversity of sights and sounds The vibrant district of Neukölln is famed for its pan- Arabic and Turkish culture and cuisine, and its international newcomers, but partly began as a home to Bohemian protestants fleeing persecution. The remains of its 300-year-old Bohemian village of Rixdorf can be seen around Richardsplatz, a large historical square that hosts a legendary annual Christmas market. Here you can find some of the oldest architecture in Berlin, along with a number of traditional German eateries like Villa Rixdorf (Richardplatz 6), which serves up Berlin specialities like “Eisbein”, or pickled pork knuckle. © visitBerlin Walking north towards the Landwehr canal, visitors can check out Neukölln’s “Little Lebanon” along Sonnenallee which is jammed with baklava and falafel shops. The backstreets around Reuterplatz make up one of Berlin’s most upcoming areas, an axis of cafés, boutiques, bookstores and galleries that attracts young people from around the world. Enjoy lunch at Burrito Baby (Pflügerstrasse 11), a popular institution selling Mexican street food - and afterward visit Tischendorf café (Friedelstrasse 25), renowned for its cosy ambience and homemade cakes. Any visit to Neukölln these days includes a walk around the huge expanse of open space that was once Tempelhof Airport. Said to be twice the size of Tempelhof Park Central Park, the airport was designated a public park in 2010 after the airport shut down two years before - it was the site of the Berlin Airlift (supplies were flown into the city via the airport when Stalin blockaded West Berlin). Today, Tempelhof Park offers Berlin’s grandest vista, plus several runways along which the visitors walk, bicycle or even rollerblade the kilometres of tarmac. Check out the massive Nazi-built terminal (once the largest building on earth and these days home to music and fashion festivals), or wander the open vegetable gardens that have mushroomed across the northern end of the park as the sun goes down. ITB BERLIN NEWS • Friday 9 th March 2018
