MICE News South Africa

#WTMA19: Travel Forward Summit to boost digital travel market

The Travel Forward conference in partnership with e-Tourism Africa Summit (eTAS) takes place on Friday 12 April, from 9.30am in the Inspire Theatre during this year's World Travel Market Africa (WTMA). The Travel Forward conference will be hosted by digital marketing expert and technopreneur, Mavin Waganda, who will facilitate panel discussions, showcase the latest in global travel tech and help visitors navigate the digital travel world.
#WTMA19: Travel Forward Summit to boost digital travel market

With the travel tech show having grown over the last three years – from booking to interaction and experiences to integration – the need to give digital advances greater airtime at WTM Africa has become ever-more apparent.

The inaugural Travel Forward event at WTM London 2018 drew 7,000 visitors and hosted 135 exhibitors, with event manager Richard Gayle saying that the level of interest demonstrated that industry stakeholders still want to learn more about the role technology can play in their businesses.

"Despite being a much-fancied global destination, Africa is primed to take advantage of the digital revolution in travel, thanks to high levels of mobile connectivity and an incredibly tech-savvy market."

Megan Oberholzer, travel tourism and sports portfolio general manager at Reed Exhibitions, says that there’s no reason that Travel Forward can’t grow to similar levels at WTM Africa. "The desire to embrace technology in travel is there for all to see, based on the levels of interest in our Travel Tech show each year. With major digital role players like Travelport, Sabre and Amadeus well-represented in the African industry – and players like Airbnb, Booking.com and Uber already a part of everyday tourism consumer life – we’re confident that this is going to be one of the highlights of WTM Africa 2019."

Register here to catch up on the latest digital developments.

World Travel Market Africa is one of the leading travel and tourism trade shows in Africa taking place annually in Cape Town. For more info click here.

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