Today’s episode recorded at Abu Dhabi on 24th October on the final day of the 63rd International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) delves deep into African participation at this year’s event. The conversation starts with an overview of the congress and how Africa can grow its share of the Association's business with the Regional Director of Africa at ICCA Frank Murangwa. Glenton de Kock, CEO of (SAACI), reflected on the Congress’s content and the need for a louder African voice while...

In this conversation, Senthil Gopinath, the CEO of ICCA shares his reflections on the success of the incredible 63rd ICCA Congress, the innovative new model introduced, and the vital role of global leadership in shaping the future of the industry. Senthil Gopinath is the Chief Executive Officer of International Congress and Convention Association ICCA. He has over two decades of experience and expertise in the meetings, association, and leisure industries. He has held a wide spectrum of...

My conversation today, is with advisory board member Essence of Africa Leanne Heigh.  Our chat today will explore the inspiration behind this exciting project, what sets it apart from other travel shows, and the key factors driving its success. Leanne shares her insights on the gaps in the market, the unique African business environment, and why quality meetings and global buyers are at the heart of Essence of Africa. Profile I arrived in Africa in February 1994 as a young backpacker, I...

In today’s episode my guest  Clive Chinwada, President of the Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe discusses the exciting growth of Zimbabwe’s tourism sector, with a spotlight on key destinations like Victoria Falls and how the country is evolving its offerings to appeal to a wider range of travelers.

In today’s episode Sandra Carvão, Director of Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at UN Tourism takes a deep dive into the recent grant program announced by UN Tourism and TUI Foundation focused on rural development and tourism. Sandra tells me the grants aim to connect artisans with the tourism value chain, giving them the resources and guidance needed to grow their crafts and impact local economies. The pilot countries are Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa,...

In today’s episode, we explore the impact of Fairtrade Africa in shaping sustainable trade across the continent. My Guest is Paul Colditz, the commercial director at Fairtrade International. From uplifting small-scale farmers to driving ethical business practices, this conversation delves into how Fairtrade ensures fair prices, environmental responsibility, and community development.    

My conversation today looks at the expectations of Africa’s tourism industry players ahead of the maiden Essence of Africa travel show scheduled for 2-4 December 2024 in Nairobi,Kenya. In this chat, Rosemary Muthoni Director of sales at Sopa lodges tells me the track record of Onshow Solutions and ATTA, organisers of the show makes her confident of meeting the right buyers from the key source markets. Rosemary Muthoni brings vast experience and expertise to the Sopa Lodges team, having worked...

In today’s episode, the owner of SA based White Shark Projects 'Jessica Smit' shares her expectation of the maiden Essence of Africa Travel show scheduled to take place from 2-4 December in Nairobi, Kenya. The owner of White Shark Projects 'Jessica Smit' is a conservationist focusing on the behaviour and welfare of the marine life that we have the pleasure of working with daily. In her own words ''To have the ability to observe our wild marine life free swimming in their natural environment...

Today’s episode takes a deep dive into the Associations' Business as part of the MICE ecosystem. My guest, Jeffers Miruka the Founding President of the African Society of Association Executives (AfSAE)highlights the crucial role of the Association sub-sector in the development of MICE in Africa. Jeffers says associations provide significant value to members including skills enhancements and networking opportunities among others. He rounds up the chat on the upcoming 2024 Africa Associations...

My conversation today is with the CEO of Dana Tours Natalie Tenzer-Silva . Dana Tours, Mozambique’s leading Inbound operator has in the last 25 years + worked tirelessly to make the destination a must-visit place in Africa in spite of the challenges. In this Chat, Natalie takes me through her journey and why she believes the time has come for Mozambique to make MICE a major part of its tourism development.   Natalie Tenzer-Silva was born in South Africa and moved to Mozambique in the early...

In this conversation, the CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa explains in detail the landmark ruling of SA’s Competition Commission on the Removal of price parity clauses between online travel agent (OTA) Booking.com and contracted accommodation providers in South Africa and what it means for the industry especially for Tourism SMEs.

In this episode, the Acting CEO of the Namibia Tourism Board Charmaine Mathues reflects on the Board’s successful ‘’Reason to Visit Namibia’’ Roadshow in Botswana. Charmaine believes the partnerships formed and the B2B engagements with the trade, coupled with the announcement by Air Botswana to launch direct flights between the two cities will further boost trade and tourism into Namibia and the sub-region.

Today’s episode discusses Mozambique’s potential as a growing MICE Destination. The General Manager of Radisson Blu Hotel Maputo Rob Van der Velden weighs in on the country’s Meetings space and why he thinks a lot needs to be done to address the challenges to unlock its full potential. Rob gives his impressions on FIKANI, Air connectivity and the diversification of its offering.

In today’s episode recorded on the sidelines of FIKANI Tourism Fair in Mozambique, the newly appointed Director for Africa of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Frank Murangwa outlines his vision for Africa and discusses the continent’s readiness to make MICE and Business events sectors key economic drivers.

My conversation today takes a look at Uganda’s tourism sector and how its soon to be launched 10-year Tourism development plan incorporates elements such as gastronomy tourism. In a chat with the CEO of the Uganda Tourism Board Lilly Ajarova at the recently held UN Tourism Forum for Gastronomy tourism in Zimbabwe, she mentioned how the conference was timely and the take outs with help them fine tune their gastronomy and agro tourism sectors.  

On Today’s episode, the Director General of the Basque Culinary Centre Joxe Mari Aizega unpacks the potential and opportunities for gastronomy tourism in Africa. Speaking on his experience during the first UN Tourism maiden gastronomy forum held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Joxe Mari said he was excited by the genuine interests and commitments by African tourism to develop the sector and place African gastronomy on the world stage.  

In today’s episode, the Minister of Tourism of the Democratic Republic of Congo Didier Musanga M’pambia opens up on his vision for the sector. Amongst the list of innovations he wants to introduce is to initiate a Tourism Village project, an aggressive domestic tourism campaign, and consolidate its rich relationship with UN Tourism to support capacity building and human resource development for its tourism sector.   

On the sidelines of the just ended 1st UN Tourism Regional Forum for Gastronomy Tourism in Zimbabwe, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Nabeela Tunis reflects on the outcomes of the 67 Commission for Africa Meeting in Zambia, 2nd Brand Africa conference and finally the role of the Women in Tourism Leadership Africa Committee in ensuring gender parity in the tourism sector. Minister Nabeela also gave an update on Sierra Leone’s Tourism sector following the launch of its Masterplan

Ahead of the 2nd UN Tourism Conference on Brand Africa scheduled to be held from 22-24 July in Livingstone, Zambia, I caught up with the CEO of the Zambia Tourism Agency Matongo Matamwandi to give me a sneak peek of the gathering. He tells me the Tourism Board CEO’s Think Tank and the launch of the UN Tourism Doing Business Investing in Zambia Guidelines will be major highlights of the 2-day event.  

In today’s episode, Nigeria’s Minister of Tourism Lola Ade-John reveals her plans to use the technology to transform the country’s tourism sector. Attending UN Tourism event for the first time in Barcelona, Spain she added that, her ministry is working closely with her counterpart at culture to leverage Nigeria's rich cultural heritage.

My conversation today is with Professor Bhaso Ndzendze an Associate Professor of international Relations at the University of Johannesburg, where he is also Vice-Dean of Internationalisation in the Faculty of Humanities. He discusses the Africa by Bus project which he says combines cultural immersion and academic engagements to enhance the learning skills of students.    

My conversation is with Temwa Kanjadza, Head of Sales Marketing and Distribution at Malawi’s Sunbird Tourism PLC. Temwa gives an overview of the hotel group’s incredible role in Malawi’s tourism sector and reveals the hotel’s latest announcement, the construction of its state-of-the-art convention centre and its MICE focus for the domestic and regional markets.

In our special coverage of Destination Malawi, I spoke with the General Manager of Sigelege Resorts, Farai Marara. Farai discusses the hospitality sector in Malawi and reveals the vision of the hotel group to further its footprint in Malawi. An achievement oriented and transformational leader. Seasoned hotelier with remarkable attention to detail and excellent customer engagement skills. Passionate about innovation, sustainability, coaching and mentoring teams to optimal performance levels....

Today’s episode was recorded at this year’s Malawi International Tourism Expo in Lilongwe. VoyagesAfriq’s content editor Samuel Obeng Appah sat down with Noma Moyo, a Sales executive at Pay Changu, a Malawian FinTech startup. She says the Company’s objective is to help fix the payment challenges in Malawi of which the tourism sector is heavily affected. She believes their payment gateway will enhance the services offered by the destination.