Key reasons for the rebrand include aiming to further entrench Indaba’s position as a world-class tourism show in Africa as well as maintaining an upward trajectory of exhibitor and buyer numbers.

According to the minister of tourism Derek Hanekom, tourism already contributes about 8% to Africa’s Gross Domestic Product and employs 6.5% of the workforce.

FCB Joburg joint chief creative officer Ahmed Tilly says, "The word ‘Indaba’, initially strongly associated with the travel industry’s annual conference and exhibition, which had, over the years, become associated with many other initiatives, conferences, exhibitions and the like – Mining Indaba and Baba Indaba being two good examples."

"Solving the issue that 'Indaba' was not immediately associated with tourism or travel appears simple on the surface, but is grounded in strong strategy that distinguished the event in 2018 and gives it a presence it can move forward with into the future," he adds.

"The words 'Africa' and 'Travel' were added to the name ‘Indaba’ to immediately distinguish it as a pan-African tourism gathering," says Tilly.


According to South African Tourism, another major contributing factor for the decision to rebrand is being grounded in the absolute truth that those who run and contribute to the annual gathering are Africans.

"It was important for us to show recognition of the fact that our buyers and exhibitors are the absolute experts of travel in, and around, Africa. They understand that travel in Africa is not only about getting from point A to point B but also about the stories that happen between points A and B," he says.

Creative director Collette Wasielewski, head of design Liana Liebenberg, senior designer Thabang Lehobye, senior copywriter Jessica Everson and associate creative director Kyra Antrobus created the corporate identity.

With the aim of expressing the ‘Africa Moves You’ idea, the team created a logo system that allows the logo to expand and contract using patterns and pictograms to tell stories. 

The new name and identity were launched at Indaba 2017 with a ‘logo’ that moved through Durban. This stretched over 33km from King Shaka International Airport via the North Beach Promenade to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre.

"Patterns placed en route – on everything from bridges and fences to rooftops and pavements – connected all of the elements together, clearly showcasing the concept of movement from A to B. On the final day of the show, the logo was displayed in its entirety at the entrance of the conference centre," says Tilly. 

"The new branding, however, really came into effect at Africa’s Travel Indaba 2018. It was an incredible project to work on and I’m so proud of the South African Tourism and FCB team that pulled everything together," Tilly concludes.

For more information, visit www.fcb.co.za. You can also follow FCB Joburg on Facebook or on Twitter.