Registration for one of Africa’s flagship travel events, World Travel Market (WTM) Africa, is now open.
Taking place in Cape Town from April 9-11, 2025, WTM Africa brings together leaders in leisure tourism, luxury travel, LGBTQ+ travel, MICE/business travel, sport tourism, tourism investment, responsible tourism as well as travel technology – delivering meaningful networking and collaboration opportunities for the African tourism industry.
Mirrored on WTM flagship events like WTM London and the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, suppliers, media representatives, pre-scheduled appointments, networking and evening functions.
“Ignite Africa is the perfect theme for 2025,” says Megan De Jager, Portfolio Director for RX Africa. “We’re creating a space for real conversation, connection and collaboration, and bringing together the best minds in the industry to shape the future of African tourism.”
To this end, the 2025 programme introduces focused ‘content clusters’ for the first time. Each ‘cluster’ combines keynote presentations from established industry experts and emerging voices, panel discussions, and practical workshops for attendees – covering hot-button topics like sustainable aviation, AI in tourism, and next-generation marketing.
New additions to the 2025 programme include:
- A half-day aviation conference addressing industry challenges and opportunities
- The Africa Tourism Investment Conference in partnership with JLL
- A youth development section focusing on career opportunities and skills development for young adults in tourism as well as a special session highlighting young African leaders in tourism
In addition, attendees can expect:
- An exclusive ‘State of the Industry’ report
- Interactive ‘brain box’ sessions for skills development and knowledge sharing
- Facilitated connections between buyers, suppliers, potential partners and media professionals
According to Megan, WTM Africa 2024 achieved a 53% increase in attendees compared to 2023, with representation from 88 countries across the world. “But perhaps most exciting, is the number of SMMEs and industry newcomers that showed interest,” says Martin. “The future of African tourism is bright – and WTM Africa is the perfect platform for those looking to connect with both tourism titans and pioneers. It’s the place to be if you want to learn, network, and celebrate the diversity and opportunity in our industry.”
WTM Africa is one of the cornerstones of Africa Travel Week, and De Jager recommends that both visitors and media register their interest as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
This sentiment is shared by Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis: “We cannot wait to welcome travel and tourism professionals from around the world to Cape Town for the World Travel Market Africa in April. This event has established itself as the premier travel and tourism expo on the continent and is key to unlocking African tourism’s enormous potential. It certainly means the world to us here in Cape Town. If the popularity and growth of the last WTM Africa is anything to go by, the 2025 event looks set to be the biggest and most well attended to date. I encourage all prospective delegates and exhibitors to register their interest sooner rather than later to ensure they don’t miss out.”
As Hill-Lewis mentions, early exhibitor registration is important. “Stands are in high demand,” says De Jager. “Potential exhibitors need to get in touch as soon as possible as space on our floor plan is running out. Chat to us about availability – and about pre-scheduling meetings with sought-after buyers and suppliers.”
For those in the business of luxury tourism, ILTM Africa is scheduled from 6-8 April at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town.
“It’s a new venue for ILTM Africa,” explains De Jager. “We’re celebrating art as a key component of luxury tourism and expect some of the world’s top-tier travel experience providers and international buyers with high buying power. As an invite-only event it is advised that exhibitors register their interest as early as possible!”
Attendees at WTM Africa 2025 can also attend concurrent events like Incentives, Business Travel & Meetings (IBTM Africa); EQUAL Africa powered by IGLTA; and Travel Tech at no extra charge.
“WTM Africa is made possible through our partnerships with the City of Cape Town, the Cape Town International Conference Centre and Lift Airlines,” concludes De Jager. “We can’t wait to welcome everyone to the Mother City – and show off Africa’s tourism industry in the most exciting week of the year.”
To attend WTM Africa 2025 and bolt-on events, visit: https://www.wtm.com/africa/en-gb/enquire.html
To exhibit at ILTM Africa 2025, visit: https://www.iltm.com/africa/en-gb/forms/exhibitor-enquiry.html
