MZANZI ISSUE 16

Africa
News & Information
WTM London 2019: Community
tourism has potential to improve
opportunities for African women
London - Community tourism can improve opportunities for women
in Africa, a session hosted by Women in Travel at WTM London
has revealed. The panel discussion “How Can We Use Travel
and Tourism to Stimulate Women Empowerment and Gender
Equity in the African Continent?” invited Sthembiso Dlamini, chief
operating officer and acting chief executive at South African
Tourism; Abigail Mbalo, head chef and founder at 4Roomed
eKasi Culture; Zina Bencheikh, regional general manager EMEA
at Peak DMC; and Amelia Diaz, tourism development specialist
at the International Trade Centre (ITC) to the stage. According
to moderator Alessandra Alonso, founder of Women in Travel,
55% of all businesses in Africa are owned by women and 60%
to 70% of employees in travel and tourism are female. Recent
trends have shown that travellers are looking for immersive
experiences such as going into local communities, which then
begins to impact that community, said Dlamini. Through this, tour
operators have the “opportunity to empower women in the way
they design tours”, said Bencheikh. This can range from using
female tour guides, to offering experiences or activities that give
women in African communities the chance to be entrepreneurs,
“even in places where there is a big cultural barrier”. An example
of this is a project ITC runs in Gambia where cookery tours with
local women are offered.
Rwanda ranked Africa’s
top emerging travel
destination
Kigali - Rwanda has been ranked as
the top Africa destination to travel to
in 2020 and among the top 30 globally
by Travel Lemming which recognizes
trending destinations. Winners were
selected after voting by 30 of the most
popular travel bloggers in the industry,
who collectively sport more than 12
million followers on social media.
Among the attributes that were listed
by voters on why Rwanda was an ideal
destination is the growing connectivity
via the national carrier RwandAir, safety
and conservation efforts.
Those who voted for Rwanda said among
other things that this East African pearl
is changing the African travel narrative
in so many way and offers a unique
cultural mix and beautiful natural
surrounds - while most people go to
see the gorillas there are lots of other
cultural heritage sites and experiences
to be had.
Source: Collins Mwai, The New Times
(Rwanda)
Important dates change for East Africa Tourism
& Hospitality Expo 24 - 26 January 2020
Moshi Urban, Tanzania – New dates
have been announced for the East Africa
Tourism & Hospitality Expo 2020 to be
held at the Ushirika Stadium, Moshi
Urban, Tanzania in January. The expo
was originally scheduled to take place
in November but had to be changed
because the government of Tanzania
announced that local government
elections would take place on 24
November. Therefore, the new dates
for the expo are 24-26 January 2020.
The expo is largest travel expo in East
Africa, offering the ideal platform for
B2B meetings between leading African
products and top-producing global
buyers. EATHE will be a platform
which connects all stakeholders for
each to capitalize the opportunities
for their own utilities. The event is
estimated to engage at least 400+
exhibitors and 5000 attendees from
the travel industry globally and in this
region, over 3,000 of these attendees
are trade visitors (buyers).
Source: TTGMedia.com / Charlotte Flach
global
Winners of WTM
International Travel
& Tourism Awards
announced
London - The winners of the second International
Travel & Tourism Awards, presented by WTM
London, were announced recently at a glittering
awards ceremony in London. The awards were
presented to the winners in front of an audience
of almost 500 senior industry professionals.
Judged by an independent panel of experts
from around the world, the awards showcase
the best in 16 categories of the global travel and
tourism industry. To see who the winners were
in each category, go to: https://awards.wtm.
com/international-travel-and-tourism-awards/
winners-2019/.
Source: WTM
World Tourism Awards 2019
presented
London - The 2019 World Tourism Awards were presented,
during the opening day of WTM London at Excel London
recently. The honourees were Matthew D. Upchurch of
Virtuoso, Asilia Africa, Nikoi Island/ The Island Foundation
and Me to We (we.org). Peter Greenberg, CBS News
Travel Editor and multi-Emmy award-winning investigative
reporter and world-renowned travel expert, hosted the
Awards presentation. The World Tourism Awards, now
celebrating its 22nd Anniversary, is co- sponsored by The
New York Times, United Airlines, The Travel Corporation
and Reed Travel Exhibitions. The World Tourism Awards
were established to “recognise individuals, companies,
organisations, destinations and attractions for outstanding
initiatives related to the travel and tourism industry, and in
fostering sustainable tourism and developing programmes
that give back to local communities.” The World Tourism
Awards honoured Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC, Chairman &
CEO of Virtuoso, in recognition of Virtuoso’s commitment
to sustainable tourism practices. A World Tourism Award
was also presented to Asilia Africa, in recognition of Asilia’s
multi-pronged approach to make a positive impact on the
local communities, wildlife and vital ecosystems of East
Africa. Nikoi Island/ The Island Foundation also received a
World Tourism Award in recognition of Nikoi Island and its
commitment to sustainability by having a positive impact
on the local culture, community, conservation. Me to We
(WE.ORG) was honoured with a World Tourism Award in
recognition of Me to We’s impact through its partnership
with WE Charity, providing more than 1 million people
with clean water, building 1,500 schools overseas, and
empowering children with access to education. The Award
itself, Caring for Our World, sponsored by VisitMalta, was
specially designed and handcrafted on the Mediterranean
Island of Malta by Mdina Glass, and celebrates the qualities
of leadership and vision that inspire others to care for all
people around the Globe.
Source: Tatiana Rokou, TravelDailyNews.com