South Africa Tourism has this morning launched the new Inanda Trail at the annual Indaba travel trade show in Durban.

With a host of international media in attendance, as well as a number of high ranking dignitaries and community leaders, officials converged at the historic Dr. J.L Dube house in the heart of Inanda for the launch.

“The Inanda Trail is one of South Africa’s most significant destinations”, said acting Durban Tourism head Philip Sithole.

“Although Durban is famous for its beachfront attractions, there are numerous other attractions in the city.

“Some of these are located within communities that have never previously had access to marketing opportunities and are not well known.

“Durban Tourism intends to change all that and this high profile event in Inanda is evidence of that commitment.”

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Inanda is perhaps best known to an international audience as the region visited by Mahatma Gandhi as he developed his ideas of passive resistance in the early 20th century.

The area is now home to the huge Inanda Dam, which offers leisure opportunities to tourists.

“Inanda is the cradle of democracy in South Africa with the Gandhi settlement, the birthplace of John Dube, founding father of the ANC, and the spiritual home of the Shembe religion. Nelson Mandela cast the first vote here in our first democratic elections,” added Mr Sithole.

“Durban Tourism is excited to be launching this tourist route and we expect it to be a big success.

“We intend to further develop this area as one of our most important tourist assets and elevate it to a much-needed higher profile.

“We expect to pour tourist development into the area over the next few years to make this a must-see experience.”

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In addition to its historic significance, the region takes pride in offering large natural areas of pristine bush, giving the experience of rural Africa just a half hour from the city of Durban.

“If we put tourism in its rightful place as a significant contributor to GDP, bringing tourists to all our communities will contribute to the development of our city.

“We will actively seek to promote a wider range of tourism products across the city, and we believe this is just the start of a new approach to marketing the cosmopolitan assets of the city,” concluded Mr Sithole.