Africa Travel Week unveils 2021 roadmap to reignite travel and tourism

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"The plan for WTM Africa has always been about offering value beyond the show floor. This year, we’re focussing heavily on that, with a robust plan that offers significant ROI across 365 days, instead of three," says Megan Oberholzer, portfolio director: travel, tourism and creative industries at Reed Exhibitions Africa.

In addition to the virtual show in April, which consists of one-on-one meetings, content sessions and speed networking, ATW has lined up a collection of additional events throughout the year, which include:

• Educational content webinars from May to August.

• Africa Travel Week: Connect in the City Live from 1 to 3 September, including on-site experiences in City of Cape Town.

• A series of virtual masterclasses from September to November.

Oberholzer adds: "Our plan takes on a blended approach where travel trade professionals benefit from connecting with their industry peers at face-to-face meetings later on in the year. Safety and wellbeing remain our number one priority and we will adjust this element of our offering accordingly."

The three-day Africa Travel Week Live which coincides with Tourism Month will comprise:

• Familiarisation tours. ATW will host international travel media and buyers in the City of Cape Town to experience tourism products first-hand.

• Destination training sessions for Hosted Buyers to provide valuable information about the city’s product offerings.

• A dedicated travel and tourism conference with a top-notch speaker programme of industry thought leaders and experts.

• Speed networking sessions where buyers are split according to regional and product interests.

• A networking evening for attendees to meet and reconnect with industry friends and peers face-to-face.

• The African Travel & Tourism Awards, honouring industry pioneers.

The blended format of WTM Africa throughout 2021 will also apply to its suite of sister shows including International Luxury Market Africa (ILTMA), International Business Tourism Market Africa (IBTMA), The Sports & Tourism Exchange (SETE), Africa Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS), Travel Forward and Equal Africa.

Attendees and industry professionals may remain connected and informed throughout 2021 via atwconnect.com, ATW’s dedicated resource hub jam-packed with free digital tools, industry news and updates.

"Our industry is inspired to make travel happen again and we want to be a part of that journey to rebuild the travel and tourism industry in 2021 by being active with initiatives that help our industry connect throughout the year," said Oberholzer. "We need to keep the momentum up to ensure travel to Africa remains top of mind, which is one of the reasons why I’m delighted that we’re able to create a 365-day initiative."