Africa Travel Week Draws Focus On The African Diaspora Traveller

Africa Travel Week highlights market segment of African Diaspora travellers predicted to be the first to rebound as restrictions ease.
To foster industry connection, recovery and inclusivity, EQUAL Africa will run alongside World Travel Market (WTM Africa), from 07-09 April 2021 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

Cape Town, 30 September 2020 – “We are all things. We enjoy cultural activities; we are luxury travellers; we are adventure travellers; we have accessibility needs; we are members of the LGBTQ+ community; we are baby boomers; we are millennials; and the list goes on and on.” So says Naledi K. Khabo, CEO of Africa Tourism Association and moderator of Africa Travel Week’s (ATW) recent virtual masterclass entitled The African Diaspora Traveller.

With African Diaspora travellers predicted to be one of the first to rebound as travel restrictions ease , ATW is hard at work creating opportunities for the travel and tourism industry to authentically connect to this diverse, yet often-overlooked, market segment.

“Often singularly focussed on Black travellers within the US market, the African Diaspora encompasses people from all over the world, with diverse backgrounds, and a vast spectrum of preferences and interests,” says Martin Hiller, Content & Creative Director: Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries.

“Using our global network, we secured a panel of five leading experts to discuss practical ways to make African travel experiences more inclusive for the African Diaspora.”

The virtual masterclass discussion highlighted channels through which operators and marketers can connect to the African Diaspora traveller which has largely been captivated by the world of social media.

“From the discussion we learnt that platforms like Instagram, Facebook and even Twitter, are easier to find images and content that reflects what Black travellers want to see, but there is differentiation across these platforms as well. Instagram and its cohort of influencers trend younger, while Facebook and its group magnetism attract an older crowd,” adds Hiller.

On the masterclass panel was Paula Franklin, Co-founder of Franklin Bailey, who explained that travel content should address the fact that not everyone shares the same travel experience.

“Whether they’re male or female, able-bodied or differently-abled, extrovert or introvert, and indeed, Black or any other race – you are going to experience a destination differently,” she explained.

“Throw some colour into your marketing material. Advertise in a few Black-owned media companies. Pay a few Black influencers. It doesn’t actually need to take a lot of effort, just a more considered approach,” she says.

Also on the panel was Mimi Mmabatho Selemela, Curator and Director at MM CONNECT and designer of the Johannesburg Experience for Travel Noire, who affirmed that working with Black-owned businesses throughout the value chain also matters to some clients and being intentional with travel spend can make a big difference in the long run.

While supporting Black-owned businesses is one way that the African Diaspora can travel with intentionality, she affirmed that it really comes down to delivering on that fundamental aspect of travel – connection.

To foster that message and to encourage diversity within the industry, ATW is gearing up with plans for EQUAL Africa set to run alongside sister show, World Travel Market Africa (WTM Africa), from 07-09 April 2021 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC).

“EQUAL Africa 2021 will form an important meeting point for global buyers and African travel product exhibitors,” explains Hiller.

“It’s an opportunity to learn about the multitude of niche market sectors as well as furthering important conversations about inclusive and accessible travel into Africa as our industry recovers,” he concludes.

For more information on EQUAL Africa and Africa Travel Week’s Meetings & Masterclasses visit: https://atwconnect.com/

About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises six leading travel events and two virtual platforms across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:

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/

WTM Virtual, is the new 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 will embrace the global leading travel shows in one platform.

Taking place: Monday 9 to Wednesday 11 November 2020 – Virtual

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 30 October to Thursday 5November 2020 https://londontravelweek.wtm.com/ .

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 2to Wednesday 4 November 2020 – London

http://london.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 Startup showcase makes Travel Forward truly unique.

Next event: Monday 2 to Wednesday 4November 2020 – London http://travelforward.wtm.com/

Arabian Travel Market (ATM), now on its 27^th 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.

Next event: Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May 2021

www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.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 6 to Thursday 8 April 2021 – Expo Center Norte, São Paulo

http://latinamerica.wtm.com/ .

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 7to Friday 9 April 2021 – Cape Town International Convention Centre

http://africa.wtm.com/ .

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 500 events in almost 30 countries across 43 industry sectors, attracting more than 7 million participants. Our events, organized by 35 global offices, leverage industry expertise, large data sets and technology to enable our customers to 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 and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.reedexhibitions.com

Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 20 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, LGBTQ+ travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf and spa travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.

https://www.reedtravelexhibitions.com/