Africa Travel Week 2022 will go ahead in Cape Town from April 11 to 13, bringing together Pan-African and international exhibitors as well as buyers from across the globe at headline shows, World Travel Market Africa (WTM Africa) and International Luxury Travel Market Africa (ILTM Africa). 

The three-day live event – being planned to include in-person and virtual events – will include all the highlights delegates have come to expect from previous events, including a robust speaker programme and associated events like International Business Market Africa, EQUAL Africa, Travel Forward, Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) and the Africa Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS).

EQUAL Africa will bring together travel suppliers and buyers as well as lifestyle brands targeting the LGBTQ+ community. For the meetings, incentives, conferences and events industry, there’s IBTM Africa and stakeholders working in the sports, events and tourism industries won’t want to miss SETE.

Lastly, Travel Forward is the leading travel technology show where travel executives and innovative solution providers gain access to cutting-edge insights, open debate and unrivalled networking opportunities.

Tourism investments across the continent will also be in the spotlight at the Africa Tourism Investment Summit, which WTM Africa will be co-hosting with the International Tourism and Investment Summit (ITIC).

“Our 2021 event was a resounding success, virtually bringing together investors and development projects to unlock a diversity of investment and business opportunities in tourism and travel destinations around the world that can be aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda – Sustainable Development Goals,” said Megan Oberholzer, Reed Exhibitions Africa Portfolio Director Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries.

For the 2022 event, Africa Travel Week will renew its partnerships with organisations like the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association, the Africa Tourism Association and Africa Travel and Tourism Association to ensure that the themes addressed at the event will reflect those pressing issues for tourism stakeholders seeking to reignite tourism to the continent. 

“Our partnership with the City of Cape Town is particularly noteworthy. We are privileged to be able to host a world-class event in a world-class city and can’t wait to welcome back all delegates to experience the best of Cape Town,” said Oberholzer.

Executive Mayor Dan Plato, said the South African vaccination programme was gaining momentum, bringing the city a step closer to hosting large-scale events.

“We are pleased that Africa Travel Week 2022 will be part of those events. The City of Cape Town has worked with the tourism industry and other government counterparts to put together health and safety protocols to ensure we can safely welcome international visitors to our shores. 

“Africa Travel Week is the perfect platform for us to showcase, to the international market, how our tourism sector has adapted to the times and improved on our already world-class offerings,” said Plato.

ATW buyers have indicated their commitment to and excitement about attending a live event in April 2022. “We saw the pent-up demand from buyers with our virtual event in 2021, which saw over 5 000 successful 1-on-1 meetings held, 4 300 minutes of speed networking and 4 000 views of content sessions. Bringing the live and virtual together for 2022, we’re expecting even greater engagement, so watch this space,” concluded Oberholzer.