Africa is as unique as it is beautiful. It is underneath our starry skies that generations of storytellers have held court while telling their folktales. The African Travel and Tourism Awards is a celebration of all that lies beneath our African skies. They honour the stars of African tourism and the enchanting tales they weave for our industry. These Awards recognise the best of national, regional and city tourist boards and recognises outstanding private sector companies and individuals.
With over 100 entries across the eight categories, the judges had the challenging task of choosing the finalists. Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director for Africa Travel Week went on to say, “The submissions were of an extremely high calibre, featuring tales of magic weaved from diverse voices, celebrating the stories that lie Under African Skies – stories of vitality, riches, movement, time, strength, change and promise.”
All the finalists for the Awards have demonstrated how through through vivid marketing campaigns and/or providing unique travel experiences they attracted travellers to their destination, venue or to use their product offering. The finalists have written the most compelling stories in the book of African travel.
The finalists are:
MOST COMPELLING TOURISM STORY
- Cape Town in Modern South by Cape Town Tourism
- Spring Marketing Campaign by Northern Cape Tourism Authority
- Cradle of Human Culture by WESGRO
MOST COMPELLING INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY STORY
- Q2B Booking Gateway by Q2B Solutions
- VISTA Destination Network by Rainmaker Digital
- Virtual Reality for Tanzania by View 4D
- Travelstart Buses by Travelstart
MOST COMPELLING AGENCY STORY
- Love Africa Marketing for Blood Lions
- Have You Heard for Cape Town Tourism
- CNN International Commercial for Dangote
- Big Ambitions for SATSA
MOST COMPELLING LUXURY STORY
- Kololo Game Reserve by Kololo Game Reserve
- Table Mountain Ring by Shimansky
- Desert Rose by Shimansky
- Rockwell Showroom by Shimansky
MOST SUSTAINABLE STORY
- Eco Messages by Emboo Camp
- How Many Elephants by How Many Elephants
- Sierraously Inspiring by OhThePeopleYouMeet
- International Dark Sky Certification Campaign by! Xaus Lodge
MOST DIGITAL STORY
- Back to Africa by Black and Abroad
- JAW Designs for eBucks Travel
- De Zeven relaunch by EcoAfrica Digital
- Blood Lions by Love Africa Marketing
MOST COMPELLING ADVENTURE STORY
- Bronze Whalers by Marine Dynamic Tours
- Pioneer Trail by Gondwana Game Reserve
- Namib100 Hike by Live The Journey
- Road Less Travelled by TravelNews East Africa
MOST COMPELLING FOODIE STORY
- Farm to Table by CNN International Commercial with Dangote
- Travel with Purpose by 4Roomed eKasi
- Africa’s Original Elephant Dung Gin by Indlovu Gin
- Wild Food from Land and Sea by The Vineyard Hotel
The winners were due to be announced on 6 April at GOLD Restaurant as part of World Travel Market Africa 2020 in Cape Town which has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the travel industry supports the #SaveTourism Campaign it is vital that we still celebrate the finalists. The winners will be announced in May 2020. All finalists and winners will be invited to attend a special event during World Market Africa 2021.