Bumper line-up for African Tourism Investment
Bumper line-up for African Tourism Investment Summit hosted by International Tourism & Investment Conference and WTM Africa at Africa Travel Week
- Two-day virtual event to focus on investing, rebuilding and restarting Africa’s travel and tourism sector
- No fewer than 9 ministerial and investment expert panel discussions and presentations
Cape Town, 6 April 2021 – Held under the banner of Invest, Rebuild and Restart, the upcoming African Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS) hosted by International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) and World Travel Market Africa (WTM Africa) at Africa Travel Week (ATW) features no fewer than 9 incredible ministerial and investment expert panel discussions and presentations.
Day 1 will kick off with a ministerial panel moderated by the BBC’s Rajan Datar on Investing in Sustainable Travel and Tourism Projects in Africa and restarting the sector in the post-COVID era.
Participating on the panel are Hon. Moses M. Vilakati, Minister of Tourism of Eswatini; Hon. Memunatu Pratt, Minister of Tourism, Sierra Leone; Hon. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya; Hon. Mary Masanja, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania; Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger, UK MP and Chair Commonwealth Parliamentary UK; Hon. Elena Kountoura, Member of European Parliament and Hon. Sofia Zacharaki, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Greece. Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman of ITIC and former Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will deliver the introduction.
Day 2 begins at 10h15 CAT with a ‘morning conversation’ joined by Reed Exhibitions South Africa Managing Director Carol Weaving, followed by an Economic Outlook presentation with Rashid Toefy, Deputy Director General, Department of Economic Development & Tourism, Western Cape Government – in conversation with H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and Chief Director, Africa Economic Relations, The Department of Trade & Industry, South Africa to unpack the economic landscape to optimise tourism investment opportunities in Africa.
Thereafter there will be an enriching dialogue with Hon. Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism Cote D’Ivoire; Tom Jones, Senior Partner, Finn Partners and Prof. David Heymann, Epidemiologist and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology LSHTM on how the vaccination process will contribute to restoring trust and a sense of security to restart travel and tourism.
Several panel discussions follow from 11h45 CAT with a focus on such topics as: The changing landscape of capital raising, investment criteria and risk management to attract the ‘right’ investor for your project and the critical need of effectively branding and marketing Africa as a single destination.
A panel discussion on rebuilding Africa’s travel and tourism sector while enhancing its resilience follows, with Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica; Hon. Ronald Chitotela, Minister of Tourism and Arts, Zambia; Hon. Minister David Maynier, Minister of Economic Development & Opportunities, Ministry of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Western Cape Government; Gloria Guevara, President & CEO WTTC and Dr Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC & former Secretary-General, UNWTO.
The day concludes with a presentation on Destination and Tourism Projects in Africa that are seeking investment, introduced by Paul Hoskins, Director ITIC Ltd and Invest Tourism Ltd, followed by the conference’s official closing.
The programme has been developed by ITIC Ltd, which entered into a strategic alliance with World Travel Market Africa earlier this year to help propel growth in travel and tourism through innovation in products, destination marketing and investment in sustainable development and infrastructure.
The Africa Tourism Investment Conference will be held virtually from 7 – 9 April and again on Thursday 24 June 2021 with the common purpose in assisting African countries and worldwide delegates and clients alike in their ambition to achieve their organisation’s objectives and future growth potential.
Mr. Ibrahim Ayoub, Group CEO of ITIC and Organiser of the Africa Tourism Investment Summit with WTM Africa, pointed out that “we have brought an impressive line-up of Ministers, decision makers and leaders of the financial services and tourism sectors under one roof to discuss the post-pandemic and foster new business opportunities, the reconfiguration of financing, travel, rebranding of the African continent as a single destination and the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign to bring trust and confidence as well as the new investment opportunities which are emerging in the field of sustainable tourism. It’s a must for you Africans to join us on the 7th & 8th April for this summit to pave the way for the betterment of the continent.”
Click here to register your attendance at the Africa Tourism Investment Summit.
The third in the series of 2021 Africa Tourism Investment Conferences will take place physically when ITIC and WTM Africa will host “Africa Live” in the City of Cape Town on 2 September, which will provide project owners, investors and financiers the opportunity to meet in person in individual Deal Rooms facilitating selected participants to showcase their development projects and funding requirements to prospective funders.
The conferences will help drive international awareness and investments in Africa and surrounding Island destinations and act as a catalyst for growth. It will attract private equity firms, institutional investors, fund managers and influencers, who have the power to channel capital and to raise funds by using key regional Stock Exchanges to raise and structure the funds to invest in live and bankable tourism projects.
The objective is to make tourism a driver to boost and develop the other industries with the Eco-System in a sustainable manner – SME within different sectors to support the tourism industry – such agriculture, manufacturing, energy, technology, textile and many of sectors of the economy to create employment, wealth within the country and for the benefit of the people.
For more information on WTM Africa Virtual, visit: www.wtm.com/africa
For more information about the ITIC WTM Africa Virtual Summit, visit https://itic.uk/programmeiticwtmafrica2021/
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Issued by: Big Ambitions
Contact: Claire Lathe
Tel: +27 84 245 2189
Email: claire@bigambitions.co.za
About ITIC UK
The London UK based ITIC Ltd – International Tourism and Investment Conference – facilitates challenging dialogue between tourism industry leaders and stakeholders on the sustainable development of tourism and travel in collaboration with governments, investors and project owners to create joint ventures that invest in developing innovative tourism and travel facilities, infrastructure and services that benefit all stakeholders, especially the host countries and their peoples.
Our team does extensive research and we provide valuable content, insights and market intelligence on tourism investment opportunities for the regions in which we operate. Complementing our conferences and investment services, we produce high quality corporate documents and publications, and promotions for our clients that add value and enhance the profile of their brands.
To find out more about ITIC and its’ International Tourism and Investment Conference programme in Africa, Bulgaria, Dubai, London UK, and elsewhere please see: www.itic.uk/videos
About World Travel Market
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events, online portals and virtual platforms across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. More than 6,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors.
Next Event: Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 April 2021 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/
IBTM Africa is the leading conference for the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry in Africa and aims to inspire the business events world to deliver exceptional experiences for their customers. Targeting inbound business, IBTM Africa is the platform for African and Indian Ocean suppliers and international buyers to meet, network and transact business in a highly targeted and interactive environment.
Next Event: Wednesday 7 April to Friday 9 April, 2021 – Virtual
Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 28th year, continues to be the focal point for the Middle East’s resilient and ever-changing travel and tourism landscape and prides itself on being the hub of all travel and tourism ideas, providing a platform to discuss insights on the ever-changing industry, share innovations and unlock endless business opportunities. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #IdeasArriveHere
Next in-person event: Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May 2021, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai
Next Virtual Event: Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 May 2021
Arabian Travel Week is a festival of events taking place within and alongside Arabian Travel Market 2021. It includes ATM Virtual, ILTM Arabia, Arival Dubai, the Travel Agents’ Academy, The ATM Influencers day, the Digital Influencer Speed Networking and Travel Forward – a new travel tech and hospitality innovation event launching this year. It also features the ATM Buyer Forums, ATM Speed Networking Events as well as The Saudi, India and China Summits. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, Arabian Travel Week will take place in Dubai from Sunday 16th to Thursday 26th May 2021.
www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
IBTM Asia Pacific, the leading event for the meetings and events industry in Asia Pacific, is the must-attend two-day event for the region’s meeting, incentives, conference and events industry. Thousands of meetings and events buyers, suppliers and international trade media are expected to visit Marina Bay Sands in Singapore for the inaugural event in June.
Next Event: Tuesday 8 to Wednesday 9 June 2021 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore
https://www.ibtmasiapacific.com/
WTM Latin America attracts around 19,000 participants – 11,586 unique. The trade show, which takes place in São Paulo, has a worldwide audience that meets to establish the direction of the travel industry. The event is recognised for attracting a high level of professionals from the segment, including buyers and travel agents. It also offers programmes with qualified content and plenty of opportunities for networking and generating business that is relevant to the travel industry
Next Event: Tuesday 3 to Thursday 5 August 2021 – Expo Center Norte, São Paulo http://latinamerica.wtm.com/
IBTM Americas, the leading event for the meetings and events industry in North America, Latin America, Europe and beyond, is the must-attend two-day event for the region’s meeting, incentives, conference and events industry. Thousands of meetings and events buyers, suppliers and international trade media visit Centro Citibanamex in Mexico City every August.
Next Event: Wednesday 18 August to Thursday 19 August 2021 at Centro Citibanamex, Mexico City
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating over £3.71 billion in travel industry contracts.
Next Event: Monday 1 November to 3 November 2021 at ExCel London
London Travel Week, brought to you by WTM London, is the one-stop-shop for event hosts and visitors to be able to shape the next 12 months of travel together. The festival of events supports the global travel and tourism industry through capturing invaluable news and enhancing industry connections.
Next Event: Friday 29 October – Friday 5 November 2021
https://londontravelweek.wtm.com/
Travel Forward London is the leading travel technology event, co-located with WTM London. Travel Forward is renowned for showcasing the next-generation technologies for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. Over 19,000 travel officials and 150+ innovative solution providers attend for 3 days of cutting-edge insights, open debate and unrivalled networking opportunities. The combination of a 2-day conference, interactive exhibition and start-up showcase makes Travel Forward truly unique.
Next Event: Monday 1 November to 3 November 2021 at ExCel London http://travelforward.wtm.com/
WTM Virtual, is the WTM Portfolio virtual platform, created to offer global delegates the chance to arrange one-to-one virtual meetings, to do business, attend conference sessions and roundtables, take part in speed networking and more. WTM Virtual embrace the global leading travel shows in one platform.
WTM Global Hub, is the new WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/
IBTM World, the leading global event for the meetings and events industry, is the must-attend three-day event for the worldwide meeting, incentives, conference and events industry. Thousands of meetings and events buyers, suppliers and international trade media visit Fira Barcelona every December for IBTM’s flagship show, with over 74,000 business meetings taking place.
Next Event: Tuesday 30 November to Thursday 2 December 2021 at Fira Barcelona
IBTM Connect is the leading online knowledge hub for the global meetings, incentives, conference and events industry. Established in 2020, it is packed with cutting-edge content to help inspire and educate the global meetings and events industry, with regularly updated industry news and insights, as well as on-demand interviews and webinars with high-profile industry experts.
About Reed Exhibitions Global: Reed Exhibitions is a leading global events business. It combines face-to-face with data and digital tools to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 400 events in 22 countries across 43 industry sectors, attracting more than 7 million participants. Our events leverage industry expertise, large data sets and technology to enable our customers to connect face-to-face or digitally and generate billions of dollars of revenues for the economic development of local markets and national economies around the world. Reed Exhibitions is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.www.reedexhibitions.com
About RELX: RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The Group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs over 33,000 people, of whom almost half are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. The market capitalisation is approximately £33bn, €39bn, $47bn.*
*Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors