Talking Drums at WTM London 2023!
It was a wonderful (and busy!) three days at the 2023 edition of World Travel Market (WTM) London in November!
As an Africa Travel Specialist and Founder of Talking Drums, attending WTM London always provides an incredible opportunity to meet tour operators, hoteliers, tourism boards and fellow entrepreneurs from all over the world.
WTM London, as always, provides a great opportunity to understand the current and emerging trends. And with Talking Drums' focus on sustainable travel; Africa; and diversity, it was wonderful that this' years event had tracks including Sustainability; Emerging Markets and Diversity & Inclusion.
I have many highlights for this year, including:
🌍 Meeting the incredible Dr Mati Martha Nyazema , founder of Mbano Manor Hotel Victoria Falls by Mantis, whose journey I have followed. So you can imagine my surprise when I mentioned my admiration to the Visit Zimbabwe representative, who then pointed that she was standing right next to me!
🌍 Meeting the amazing team at Visit Rwanda, and finding out more out their amazing tourism commitments, particular on sustainable tourism and meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition (MICE) tourism.
🌍 Meeting the fantastic Kojo Bentum-Williams, a senior tourism and communication specialist.
🌍 Attending the ‘Africa, a Goldmine for Adventure Travel’ panel hosted by kojo Bentum-Williams, and featuring Mohammed Jalloh (Director of Tourism, Sierra Leone 🇸🇱); Matongo Matamwandi(CEO, Zambia Tourism Agency 🇿🇲) and Ariella Kageruka (Head of Tourism and Conservation, Rwanda Development Board 🇷🇼) and learning about how these countries are leveraging nature-based tourism.
🌍 Meeting amazing businesses and representatives from all over Africa, including Rwanda, Malawi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Morocco, and learning about upcoming trends, commitments to social impact, and how we can work together to deliver the best experiences for our clients.
My key takeaways:
Sustainability will continue to be at the forefront in many areas of travel and tourism.
It is important that these considerations are implemented into tourism strategies and policies.
Some countries such as Morocco and Rwanda are leading the way, evident in their investment in the sector, marketing, and ease of travel. Morocco was this year’s Premier Partner.
Culture remains an important export, and introduction to a country.
I am looking forward to building on the many connections made and enhancing sustainable travel across Africa.
Thank you again to the WTM London team for an excellent exhibition!