Following its successful Experience Africa event in London at the end of last month –bringing together 157 exhibitors and 240 buyers to host 5 800 meetings over three days – African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA) CEO, Jon Danks, is upbeat about Africa’s growth.
In an interview with UK publication Travel Weekly, he said Africa was seeing a “strong return” in demand for luxury and family holidays. At the same time, safari providers reported record numbers close to pre-pandemic levels.
He was quoted as saying: “Different countries across the continent are experiencing different bounce rates and for different markets. Across the luxury and family sector, areas of the continent are witnessing a strong return, and the safari experiences to the south and east are recording record numbers.”
Danks added that seasonality was also changing with different demands as customers looked to explore further afield and take advantage of the continent’s rich outdoor experiences.
“As new markets open up, we’re encouraging agents to listen to the changing demands of consumers.”
Sustainability
Danks further noted that sustainability was a key consideration for buyers, highlighting that, compared to 2018, there is a “marked difference” in the number of questions around sustainability.
According to him those questions are driven by consumers and carried through the supply chain to the hoteliers, ground products, luxury lodges and other providers/suppliers.
