Travel fundis arrive at expo
CAPE TOWN is buzzing as travel professionals from all over the continent and the globe descend on the Mother City for the annual World Travel Market (WTM) Africa which kicked off at the Cape Town International Convention Centre yesterday.
The expo, running until tomorrow, was launched in 2014 and has generated millions of dollars in related business over previous years.
It draws an exciting and dynamic mix of cultures and experiences from the best in the industry – including buyers, tour operators, tourism products, local outbound travel agents and destination marketing organisations.
It is also the ideal platform for emerging markets and micro-enterprises to network and engage key contacts.
WTM Africa has grown exponentially since its inception and today attracts about 5 000 delegates and promoters from the Americas, Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern regions, including countries such as United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Australia, China, India, Brazil, Canada and Argentina. It is the leading B2B exhibition for inbound and outbound Africa travel and tourism markets.
The event mirrors flagship events WTM London and the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, and delivers a proven mix of media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. It affords invaluable opportunities and tools to maximise commercial success, glean industry news, new trends and critical technologies from around the world.
Local and international digital influencers will educate attendees about marketing objectives through online platforms and partnerships, a host of international speakers will focus on pertinent topics and, new to the conference this year, is the Outbound Conference Theatre where travel agents can learn more about international destinations through interactive workshops.
Chardonnay Marchesi, the general manager of Africa Travel Week, says: “WTM Africa’s pre-registered travel professional numbers went up by 26% compared to this time last year, and our buyers are up by about 10%.
“This is growing daily and will result in a further increase in arrivals.”
Seventy-seven countries and regions are showcased at WTM Africa and as the only travel trade show dedicated to showcasing technology in travel, Marchesi says that a major highlight for WTM Africa 2017 is the dedicated talks and discussions planned for its Travel Tech Show, while specialists in outbound travel can look forward to learning how to better package and sell popular destinations.
Representing a powerful cross-section of the business events industry in Africa, an excellent panel of speakers offers valuable insights into topical issues, insightful case studies and reports on how this industry is rapidly evolving on the African continent.
Inbound tourism into South Africa alone contributes about 9% to the nation’s GDP and tourists visiting SA last year numbered at more than 9 million, with that figure climbing as the foreign exchange rate, notwithstanding, continues to influence destination decisions. Travelling locally and into Africa is increasingly attractive and WTM incentivises this perfectly.
Participants at WTM this year include Reunion Island Tourism, Swaziland Tourism, Tomjachu Bush Retreat, Bushtracks Africa, Chitwa Chitwa, the Radisson Blu Hotels and Rovos Rail.
Also key is that for the third year running, Wesgro – Cape Town and the Western Cape’s official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency – are the main sponsor for the African Responsible Tourism Awards hosted by Better Tourism Africa and WTM.
The winners are to be announced today at WTM. Visit www.wtm.com.