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 <strong>16</strong> 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
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