Travel News South Africa

What to expect from WTM Africa 2019

The WTM Africa 2019 speaker line-up and programme are taking shape, with Conference, Inspire, Destination and Travel Forward Theatres set to host presentations and interactive sessions with global travel influencers between 10 and 12 April 2019.

The three-day speaker programme will cover topics that matter in the industries travel and tourism industry, offering insights to stakeholders across the spectrum via individual presenters, panel discussions, workshop and networking sessions.

The Conference Theatre is home to the annual Responsible Tourism Conference.
The Conference Theatre is home to the annual Responsible Tourism Conference.

The Conference Theatre is home to the annual Responsible Tourism Conference, led by Dr Harold Goodwin who has worked on four continents with local communities, their governments and the inbound and outbound tourism industry.

An Emeritus Professor and Responsible Tourism Director at the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, Goodwin is also managing director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership, advisor to the World Travel Market Portfolio on its Responsible Tourism programme across the global WTM Portfolio. He chairs the panels of judges for the World Responsible Tourism Awards and the other Awards in the family, Africa, India and Ireland.

The Inspire Theatre will play host to a variety of tourism industry content sessions.

On Wednesday, 10 April at 11.30am, SAACI CEO Rudi van der Vyver will host a half-day Business Events Conference in partnership with ibtm comprising AFRICA of three sessions:

• A sustainable event industry;

• Embracing Our youth: Transformation in an evolving world of event management, and

• Professionalism and accountability in a burgeoning event industry.

On Wednesday, 10 April at 2.30pm, experienced mentor, business coach, consultant and strategist Alessandra Alonso, returns with her incredibly popular and valuable Women in Travel interactive sessions, with a focus on gender empowerment, entrepreneurship, travel and tourism.

The event combines a panel debate with group mentoring and networking to ensure attendees access inspirational speakers, hands-on advice through mentoring and give women an opportunity to meet with their peers and share challenges, opportunities and learnings.

The SETE: Sports and Events Tourism Exchange runs for a full day in the Inspire Theatre on 11 April, with former Ireland International rugby player and Talk Radio 702 presenter, John Robbie exploring the impact and benefits of major sporting and other events which have a significant ROI for our tourism economy.

Friday, 12 April features a full-day event, Travel Forward Forum in partnership with eTourism Frontiers.

The business driven, focused and educational event gives attendees the opportunity to meet leading experts in sessions covering untapped elements and practicalities of e-commerce and online distribution.

Engaging sessions set to cover current and future trends.
Engaging sessions set to cover current and future trends.

The Destination Theatre features a full programme across WTM Africa, with entertaining and engaging sessions set to cover current and future trends; a 2019 travel forecast, tourism into the rest of the continent, trends in travel influencer marketing, film tourism, Halaal tourism, destination presentations and global gay & lesbian travel, to name but a few.

WTM Africa 2018 records 18% increase in attendees
WTM Africa 2018 records 18% increase in attendees

World Travel Market Africa  17 May 2018

Current speakers include iambassador founder and CEO Keith Jenkins; Women in Travel CIC Founder Alessandra Alonso; iambassador CMO, Nicholas Montemaggi and film and event media publisher, Lance Gibbons.

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