The inaugural WTM Africa Travel & Tourism Awards at #WTMA20 are set to shine a spotlight on exceptional individuals and businesses which have written the most compelling stories in the book of African travel.
The history of storytelling in Africa stretches back thousands of years, with tales passing on knowledge from one generation to the next, around fires and under glittering African skies. It’s in this spirit that the WTM Africa Travel & Tourism Awards celebrates the sharing of stories from those who have helped share the African tale with visitors – of a continent full of vibrancy, life, soul and heart.
Themed ‘Under African Skies’, the inaugural Awards celebrate the best of national, regional and city tourist boards and recognises outstanding private sector companies and individuals in 12 categories, namely:
- Most compelling National Tourism Board Story
- Most compelling Regional/City Story
- Most compelling Technology & Innovation Story
- Most compelling Agency Story
- Most compelling PR Story
- Most compelling Digital Campaign in Tourism Story
- Most compelling Digital Influencer Story
- Most compelling Wellness Destination Story
- Most compelling Responsible Tourism Story
- Most compelling Adventure Story
- Most compelling Foodie Story
Most compelling Inclusive Story
The WTM Africa Travel & Tourism Awards are judged by an independent panel of industry experts and will be presented before an audience of over 500 senior travel industry professionals on 6 April at Gold Restaurant in the Host City of Cape Town. Winners are put forward for the Global WTM Travel & Tourism Awards, which takes place annually in London. Enter your story – or one you just can’t help sharing – in one of the 12 categories before 31 January 2020. Only campaigns executed in the period 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019 will be eligible for the 2020 WTM Africa Travel & Tourism Awards.
Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism & Sports Portfolio at Reed Exhibitions, says that the Awards’ new focus on storytelling is the best possible way to showcase the amazing work being done by individuals and organisations from across Africa in developing tourism opportunities. “The story of Africa begs to be shared – and it’s up to us to shape the narrative,” he says. “Our people are driving creative tourism opportunities and harnessing cutting-edge technologies and innovative ideas to help share the best of our continent – and we seek to reward them for their bold, creative thinking with the WTM Africa Travel & Tourism Awards”.
Brand builders, idna are the official Ideas Partner for the 2020 WTM Africa Travel & Tourism Awards. With a passion for powerful, creative thinking – and 20 years’ international experience in telling compelling stories – idna specialise in conceptualising thrilling events and campaigns and developing touchpoints to motivate, inspire and effect change.
Travel Africa TV are one of the #WTMA20 Gold Media Partners, and will be producing some great content around the event and the awards. Travel Africa TV is a video travel guide dedicated to promoting African tourism and hospitality to the international market. Their content features information on destinations, hotels, lodges, spas, dining, as well as travel tips and news. “WTM Africa is always as exciting as its informative – and we’re looking forward to helping showcase the best of the continent, to the world,” says Travel Africa TV founder Maggie Mutangiri.
For more details on each category, visit https://africa.wtm.com/Awards1. Entries close on 31 January 2020 and the winners will be announced at the commencement of WTM Africa 2020 on 6 April at a secret location in Cape Town. To book your stand for #WTMA20 or apply to be a Hosted Buyer, visit http://africa.wtm.com/.