“I am so impressed with quality of the buyers”, “Made great contacts for my business” “Exceeded my expectations totally.” These are just some of the superlatives heard in the aisles of a very busy third and final day at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) as World Travel Market (WTM®) Africa, which drew to a close on Friday 08 April.
The three jam-packed days of pre-scheduled appointments and conference seminars have produced a 23% increase in visitors (figures not yet audited) in what, by all indications, has been a very successful 3rd edition of Africa’s leading B2B travel and tourism trade exhibition. This result is a positive indication that WTM® Africa is the must-attend event and is continuing to grow at a phenomenal rate with widespread local, regional and international interest.
Some exhibitors have already booked their spaces for next year’s event taking place at the CTICC 19-21 April 2017. Alan Fogarty, from Alan Tours said: “the organisation of this show has been fantastic; I have had back-to-back quality meetings and business is great.” Alan Tours has already signed up for next year’s WTM® Africa.
In a special ceremony at World Travel Market Africa, Mara Nabosio Conservancy took the coveted gold position as Overall Winner of the African Responsible Tourism Awards from of a selection of 24 finalists gathered from around Africa.
There was no slowing down on the last day with the event programme delivering really great content for all to benefit from including the generation gap seminar, the experiential travel presentation, a seminar explaining how attendees could measure their digital marketing, and the responsible tourism panel discussions lead by Prof Harold Goodwin, Professor of Responsible Tourism at Manchester Metropolitan University and Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism.
David Frost, CEO of SATSA, an association partner, had this to say about the partnership: “WTM Africa has been incredibly supportive of SATSA, and it is a partnership that goes from strength to strength.”
Stand awards were announced for those exhibitors whose efforts stood out in the form of their exhibition stand. Congratulations to the following winners:
Most Responsible Stand: Fair Trade Tourism
Best Stand Innovation: Hotelbeds
Best Stand Personnel: Hotel Verde
Best Stand Feature: Incredible India
Best Stand for Doing Business: Dubai Department of Tourism
Best Stand Design: Maldives
“It has been a remarkable 3 days in which we have seen the best of WTM® Africa in action. Simply, we aim to deliver a quality event that facilitates real opportunities for business growth. It is satisfying to achieve these objectives, and exceed expectations. The 2016 show, had over 600 exhibitors, showcasing our continuous annual growth. WTM® Africa has come of age, and we will continue striving to meet the needs of our travel and tourism partners to deliver an annual event that is even more relevant, topical and productive. This is the largest show we have had to date, with quality participation surpassing our predictions. I cannot wait for the 2017 show, where WTM® Africa will continue to grow as the leading B2B travel trade exhibition on the continent” said Chardonnay Marchesi, General Manager of Africa Travel Week.
WTM Africa 2016, is proud to have partnered this year with; the Host City of Cape Town, , Gauteng Tourism Authority, Hylton Ross, South African Airways, Travel Massive, Beluga, One World, Tsogo Sun, Turkish Airlines, Pepperclub Hotel & Spa, One&Only, BMW, Caffeluxe and the Quirio.
“WTM® Africa is unique in its brand, as it has added the responsible element to their trade show; to help save our planet” explained Grant Fowlds, from Rhino Art, a charity partner of WTM® Africa. Rhino Art is conservation Awareness programme for the Youth of the World which aims to gather the largest number of children’s ‘Art Voices’ ever recorded to fight the war against poaching.
To see a recap of the day 3 activities at WTM® Africa click here for our round up video, and for more information visit www.wtmafrica.com.
Save the date for WTM® Africa 2017: 19-21 April. We look forward to seeing you again next year.
We also invite you to like WTM Africa’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wtmafrica and join us on twitter using: @WTMAfrica and #WTMA16.
