Entries for the 2026 ATW Media Awards are now open, with submissions sought from travel writers, bloggers, videographers, and photographers who produce outstanding content related to the African continent.

Building on the success of previous years, the 2026 awards feature an exceptional judging panel of global heavyweights, including Ellie Rothnie (wildlife photographer, tour leader and Canon ambassador), Kojo Bentum-Williams (Founder and Publisher, VoyagesAfriq), Barry Nield (Global Editor, CNN Travel), Divia Thani (Global Editorial Director, Condé Nast Traveller) and Tom Hall (Vice President, Lonely Planet).

“Once again, we’ve assembled a fantastic panel of judges who represent the very best in travel journalism and photography,” says Megan De Jager, Portfolio Director of Africa Travel Week. “Their expertise will ensure we recognise the most compelling storytellers who bring Africa’s extraordinary travel experiences to new audiences.”

The 2026 awards cover five categories:

• Sustainability Feature Award: Recognising stories that put the spotlight on regenerative tourism, community tourism, women-led initiatives, conservation, responsible practices and the African innovators protecting people and planet.

• Visual Tourism Award: Honouring photographers and visual artists whose exceptional work showcases Africa’s natural heritage, culture and character in extraordinary ways.

• Tourism News Award: Celebrating incisive, analytical reporting of developments, patterns, obstacles and innovations impacting the industry today.

• Destination Feature Award: Rewarding rich, layered features that explore a destination’s natural wonders, cultural traditions and communities – inspiring people to travel with deeper intention and curiosity.

• Young Talent Award: Spotlighting emerging writers and creators under 25 who are shaping how the world sees the continent.

The awards are open to all media practitioners at no cost, with entries accepted for content published between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025.

“ATW’s Media Awards recognise excellence in travel journalism, honouring those who inspire wanderlust, champion responsible tourism and showcase the authentic spirit of different African destinations,” adds de Jager. “Entries close on 16 January 2026 and winners will be announced during Africa Travel Week 2026.”

Full submission criteria as well as submission and nomination forms are available on our website: The 2026 ATW Media Awards.

Taking place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre’s Global Stage, ATIC brings together key stakeholders including government ministers, private sector leaders, development finance institutions, and international investors for a day of intensive networking and knowledge sharing.

“The ATIC represents a crucial platform for driving investment in African tourism,” says Olivia Gradidge, Marketing Manager at WTM Africa & ILTM Africa. “With the industry’s remarkable resilience and growth potential, we’re creating an environment where meaningful partnerships can flourish, and concrete deals can be struck.”

The conference programme features comprehensive discussions on economic and tourism trends, success stories from investors and operators, and practical insights into destination development.

“What sets ATIC apart is its laser focus on actionable opportunities,” Gradidge explains. “We’re not just talking about potential – the goal is to facilitate real connections between project owners and investors who can turn these opportunities into reality.”

Key features of the conference include:

• Dedicated space for private meetings.
• Panel discussions with high-level stakeholders.
• Networking sessions with industry professionals.
• Access to WTM Africa’s main exhibition floor.
• Insights from JLL’s global and African tourism and hospitality expertise.

“This year’s programme particularly emphasises sustainable tourism development and community benefits,” adds Gradidge. “We’re seeing increasing investor interest in projects delivering both financial returns and positive social impact, and our conference directly addresses this trend.”

Wayne Godwin, CEO of JLL Africa and Head of JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group, added:

“As Africa’s leading hospitality advisor, JLL is excited to partner with WTM Africa for the 2025 Africa Tourism Investment Conference, which will connect key players in tourism and hospitality investment. Our focus on destination building aligns with the event’s goal to link tourism, real estate, and investment, recognising tourism as a catalyst for diverse property investments.”

Early bird tickets are now available at R1,500 (excluding VAT) per person, offering exceptional value for those serious about tourism and hospitality investment in Africa.

Click here to secure your place at this landmark event or visit our website for more information.

The age-old stereotype of great men exploring the world makes up the historical narrative of travel, from Marco Polo to The Grand Tours of Europe undertaken by wealthy young men. Women were barred from such adventures, and when they did make it onto the ships and The Great Tours, it was with chaperones or with great danger to their safety. You have to dig to find their stories but rest assured they are formidable, like Lilian Bland built her own plane in 1910 so she could discover the world.

How is this relevant to modern-day travel and tourism? These stereotypes still pervade travel, and the industry’s understanding of women travellers is limited. “Gender-biased beliefs still exist, like women shouldn’t travel alone, women aren’t interested in active travel experiences, and that catering to women means hairdryers, bubble baths, and baby changing stations. This not only puts women at a disadvantage but the industry as a whole. The statistics show that women love to travel more than men: 64% of worldwide travellers are women, 36% are men. By getting to know women travellers, travel and tourism can see huge growth,” says Patricia Johnston, Area Leader for the KZN region, Flight Centre South Africa.

On that note, we asked the women travel and tourism experts what women really want from their travel experience.

From generic to personalised

Moving beyond generic features (like hairdryers for women or shoe-shining kits for men) can help travel businesses better connect with their market.

“A hairdryer is great, but really most amenities and features women value would be the same as what anyone would – despite their gender,” says Natalia Rosa, CEO of Big Ambitions. “For instance, having a USB charging spot next to the bed, a nice fluffy towel or two, a basin that’s not the size of a Tupperware dish, a TV that doesn’t require a doctorate to switch on and navigate, etc. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what gender you identify with, there are certain base-level expectations that any guest would appreciate.”

Kathleen Hedges, Deputy GM at voco, The Bank, Johannesburg makes a similar point: “I enjoy it when the basics are done well – amazing linen, comfortable pillows, etc. and the small touches – recently, while at a hotel for my birthday, I received a bottle of wine upon my arrival and a lovely welcome card from the GM to wish me a happy birthday. A lot of hotels offer generic amenities and do not take the time to know who their guest is – for example, if you sleep on the right side of the bed, turn the right side down in the evening. Small touches could be made in terms of added-on amenities for all genders.”

Johnston agrees: “The best travel experiences I’ve had were when the hotel paid attention to small details. When I was in Mauritius, I made a comment one morning at breakfast that I enjoyed a particular fruit with muesli. The following morning, they made sure that fruit was set out on the buffet with a little dish of it on my table for me.”

“My best travel experience was in Tuscany,” shares Megan De Jager, Portfolio Director at Africa Travel Week. “What made it so special and memorable were the locals who ran the establishment with such authenticity and passion. I remember sitting in our courtyard each morning with a vine of sweet red grapes above us that we would pick and eat. Every afternoon the owners would bring us homemade bread, olive oil and wine from their farm that we would enjoy at dusk overlooking the rolling Tuscan hills. The property also had a small Trattoria whose chef was an elderly Italian woman who cooked all her traditional recipes that had been passed down through generations. We ate there every night, and guests ended each meal with homemade Limoncello!”

There is one aspect of travel which is far more of a concern to women travellers than to their male counterparts – safety. Amenities and services that cater to this are important. De Jager says, “On a practical level, I look for security and safety. I want to be able to lock and bolt my hotel room and to lock away my valuables in a safe”. The women team at Bon Hotels adds: “A shuttle service for early departures and late arrivals is a huge plus as women do not always feel safe taking an Uber at off-peak times.”

An escape from the everyday

Regarding women’s holiday preferences, these too are not unique to gender. They reflect current travel trends and the universal need for a break from normal routine. “I want to transcend my comfort zone in a safe environment. I want to experience novelty and a change of scenery,” Rosa explains.

De Jager speaks of the desire to escape everyday life: “I want a break from the daily grind! I want to be able to wake up without an alarm clock and have the commodity of time. I want to leave behind the feeling that I am rushing from task to task and that everything is planned and scheduled. I love the road less travelled, and I love to get lost in a place. I also look for good food. I’m inclined to eat my way through a holiday and love nothing more than going to restaurants that locals recommend.”

Food is central to many travel experiences. Olivia Gradidge, Marketing Manager for Travel and Tourism at Africa Travel Week adds, “Seriously good food and wine, especially if there is an element of surprise, like tasting something new, is a key part of a good holiday.”

Great holidays also strike the perfect balance between social- and me-time. “A holiday is a chance to spend quality time with loved ones and still get some alone time to unwind and rejuvenate the soul,” says Johnston.

Rosa ends with a point about the people who make the travel and tourism world go round. “When it comes to what makes a travel experience special, it always comes down to the staff. Something small like being greeted with a smile and helpful hand by every staff member always stands out in my mind, and I will return to that hotel if I’m in the vicinity again. I stay at a lot of hotels, and that is by far the thing that stands out most positively for me.”

• The content programme has seen a complete revamp with new speakers and formats.

• Sustainability will be a priority with the introduction of a new sustainability village.

With just one month to go until Africa Travel Week takes place from 03 to 05 April at the Cape Town International Conference Centre in the host City of Cape Town, the countdown has well and truly begun.

The trade show, which includes flagship shows WTM Africa and ILTM Africa, will allow travel industry leaders to reconnect and catch up on trends and developments in the African tourism space. Exciting content sessions hosted by experts and speakers are to be augmented by several bolt-on conferences, including EQUAL Africa, the African Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS), the Responsible Tourism Africa Conference, Travel Tech and IBTM Africa.

Megan De Jager, Portfolio Director – Travel, Tourism & Marketing RX Africa, shares an overview of what to expect at WTM Africa 2023: 

A killer content programme

Do you want to get inside knowledge into Africa’s hottest source markets? Would you like to hear all about the tech innovations that will revolutionise the tourism industry in Africa? Or do you want to know if the African tourism industry is getting inclusivity right? This year’s content programme brings fresh ideas, new speakers and exciting new formats and partners. Speakers include industry stalwarts like Mandisa Magwaxaza, Jean Scheltema and Colin Bell among others. Partners for EQUAL Africa now include the IGLTA Foundation and Afrigay.

[Check out the preliminary programme here].

The most prominent global buyers

Africa Travel Week is expecting to welcome over 500 top-end ‘king buyers’ from across the world, which will be hosted at the Southern Sun Cullinan Hotel, The Vineyard, the Westin, as well as other selected hotels in the city.  Buyers this year range from our tried-and-trusted source markets such as the US and the UK, as well as some exciting new markets such as Malaysia, Bangladesh and Romania.

Exciting media partners

The interest from the media for WTM Africa 2023 has been phenomenal and we’re proud to be partnering with Afritraveller, Voyages Afriq, Zambia Travel Magazine, SA Profile, Business Integrator, Rove SA, India Outbound, Plett Tourism, The Planner Guru, Gallivant Africa, Africa.com, iAfrica, SA Commuter, Travel News East Africa, ATC News, Bizcommunity, The Aviators Africa, Luxury Xclusives, Euronews, Byolife Media, Nzira Travel Magazine, Afro Tourism West Africa, Business Events Africa and Euromonitor.

Inspiring young minds

World Travel Market (WTM) Africa 2023 have collaborated with Katie King – published Author and CEO of AI in Business, to launch an inclusive programme aimed at upskilling high-school students in Cape Town on the impact artificial intelligence (AI) will have on careers in the tourism industry. The most promising young minds will share their technology solutions with us at Africa Travel Week.

Making a difference

Expect a range of exciting new features at the 2023 show. We’re particularly excited about our new Sustainability Village where attendees will be able to make a difference on the spot. The Sustainability Village, a new and unique walk-through hub, will feature a variety of eco-focused pop-up exhibitors, each showcasing what they do through interactive displays and communicating how they can assist other businesses in prioritising the environment and the support of local communities. The pop-up exhibitions include Growing Paper, Painted Wolf Wines, How Many Elephants, E’Yako Green, and Uthando South Africa among others.

And the winners are….

Who told the most inspiring story about Africa in 2022? And who are our responsible tourism champions? One of the highlights of the show will be the announcement of the winners of the Responsible Tourism Awards and the Africa Travel and Tourism Awards.

“Africa Travel Week is the show that everyone in the travel and tourism industry wants to be at. The industry’s most influential names become the talk of the town as they create exciting new itineraries, do business, and build lifelong bonds during three days of high-quality appointments, educational sessions and networking parties,” concludes De Jager.

Exclusive to ATW virtual exhibitors and a selection of hosted buyers, the live event in Cape Town would have brought stakeholders and media together for an on-the-ground taste of the best the Mother City had to offer, including familiarisation tours and a dedicated conference.

“It was an extremely difficult decision, but one that we felt had to be made sooner rather than later so that we minimised any inconvenience to participants,” says Megan Oberholzer, Reed Exhibitions South Africa Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries.

“There really is nothing we had hoped for more than to host this live event, however with the environment remaining fluid, the ongoing third COVID wave and the uncertainty as to when South Africa will be removed from ‘red lists’ and travel advisories around the world, we believe that making a decisive decision now will be in the best interests of our guests,” Oberholzer adds. 

The City of Cape Town says it hopes to soon be able to host important international events again. “As the City of Cape Town we were looking forward to welcoming international buyers and media to our shores for this crucial live event which would have contributed towards reviving the tourism sector, which has been heavily impacted by the global COVID-19 pandemic. We continue to work with national and the provincial government to put measures in place to ensure that we can soon host these important international events in a much safer environment,” says Cape Town Executive Mayor Dan Plato.

Africa Travel Week confirms that it will go ahead with hosting its series of virtual masterclasses and events, including a China Market Outlook, How the Pandemic has changed our priorities in terms of Animal Welfare and Tourism; and Marketing, influencers and blogging – what is worth it?

While the gala African Travel & Tourism Awards event, that was programmed for Connect in the City Live will no longer be held, entries for Africa Travel Week’s Reigniting Africa Award remain open until end June for COVID-19 campaigns that focus on reigniting travel.

“This is an incredible opportunity for any Destination Marketing Company, Tourism Board, Marketing, public relation, communication, advertising and branding firm, Start-up, and Brand and Digital experts to showcase their inspirational campaigns that sought to reignite travel during COVID. Similarly, if you admire a campaign you feel fits the profile, encourage its organisers to submit their entry before the new deadline,” says Oberholzer. 

If you missed the bumper content programme during Africa Travel Week in April, Africa Travel Week has the full content line up of over 40 panel discussions featuring 170 international and Africa speakers on tourism related trends in Africa and beyond, available on demand for your viewing.

Attendees and industry professionals may also remain connected and informed throughout 2021 via atwconnect.com, ATW’s dedicated resource hub jam-packed with free digital tools, industry news and updates.

“We will use the time wisely to prepare for Africa Travel Week from April 11 to 13 2022 and are looking forward to bringing together buyers and exhibitors at a live event in Cape Town to unlock Africa and make travel happen again,” Oberholzer concludes.

Lockdown restrictions have suppressed a significant amount of demand, especially for leisure travel, and the easing of restrictions and continued vaccine progress will be essential to realise this latent travel demand, the report states.

While a more youthful population has minimised the impact of the health crisis in Africa, there are concerns regarding the region’s access to vaccines. However, the COVAX initiative has helped alleviate these anxieties by providing and campaigning for a more equitable distribution of vaccines.

While we wait for a return of international visitor arrivals, stymied by renewed coronavirus outbreaks and the emergence of 501Y.V2, first reported in South Africa, a strong domestic market and an uplift in short-haul travel will support the travel industry in the near-term, adds the report.

According to the report, domestic travel is set to account for 73% of total arrivals in 2021 – up from 55% in 2019. Reduced travel appetite for far-away travel will increase the short-haul share of international arrivals in 2021 to support markets which have been traditionally more dependent on longer-haul markets.

Lastly, continued infrastructure improvements, targeted tourism support and concentrated digital marketing campaigns could help stimulate future tourism growth. Infrastructure improvements and better use of digital platforms could help increase destination competitiveness. This could add to lingering demand for less-crowded destinations with outdoor activities and attractions, which will also be fuelled by a rise in more sustainable travel.

“While we grapple with the ever-changing environment, this Tourism Economics Report, compiled exclusively for Africa Travel Week, shines a positive spotlight on the potential for tourism to Africa. Our role as Africa Travel Week is to keep the interest in travel to Africa burning by providing a dynamic platform for stakeholders to reconnect as we work together at Making Travel Happen Again,” says Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism and Creative Industries at Reed Exhibitions Africa.

To access the full Tourism Economics Report, click here.

That was the overarching message of the recent African Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS), hosted by International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) and World Travel Market Africa (WTM Africa) at Africa Travel Week (ATW) which featured no fewer than 9 incredible ministerial and investment expert panel discussions and presentations.

Sounding the call for collaboration, ITIC Chair and former Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Dr Taleb Rifai said it would take five years for 70% of the world’s population to be vaccinated and that it would be impractical to pin tourism’s hopes on this before travel could resume in earnest.

“We cannot face this as individual governments. We have to work together and not just Ministers of Tourism, but also Ministers of Health, of Transport. African Governments must work together and create a minimum procedure and protocol for travel. We can’t have one country insisting on quarantine, its neighbour insisting on vaccinations and a third one requiring testing. There has to be a standardised minimum level of procedures that is agreed upon for travel to be possible. There’s no other way.”

Taleb’s view was widely supported by the various ministers and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) President and CEO Gloria Guevara who called for an international mobility programme to deliver the certainty required for travel.

“We cannot consider entire countries as infected and thus quarantined, so there is a need to move from country assessment to individual assessment. If we can have agreement among the countries in Africa, we could resume international travel and bring back travellers and jobs,” said Guevara whose recommendation for Africa would be to define clear rules and to work together to put together a mobility protocol.

Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger, Vice Chair of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, advocated for widespread access to vaccines and called for a “team effort” to get “tourism up and running” swiftly, while sounding a caution about variants.

“One of the things we are trying to do is open up tourism without taking variants to countries that don’t have them and, conversely, bring back variants that are not covered by existing vaccines. Variants must be identified and South Africa is a prime example. They identified a variant, got it out to the world and we know now that the vaccinations cover that variant. That’s how it’s done.”

On the topic of investor confidence Hon. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary, Kenya Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said this would only be achieved through collaboration. Minister Balala bemoaned the current narrative painted about Africa and variants, saying that red-listing countries and hoarding vaccines was not ‘healthy’.

“If there is a problem in Kenya or South Africa, we should pull together and find solutions. This is not a problem for one country, this is a global problem because variants will spread throughout the world. First we need to address those issues before we can talk about investment because investment withdraws when there’s uncertainty.”

Balala highlighted that Africa should focus its current efforts on building infrastructure that supports and enables Tourism so that “we invest in today for tomorrow” so that “when the world re-opens, we can say we are ready for it”.

Reiterating their support for Africa and willingness to enter into dialogue, Hon. Sofia Zacharaki, Greece Deputy Minister of Tourism said the country was invested in the promotion of “mutual tourism investments based on sustainability and environmental protection”, as well as “special initiatives supporting joint ventures between Greek and African businesses, a framework providing exchange of knowledge and the development of specialised and alternative forms of tourism”.

Held under the banner of Invest, Rebuild and Restart, ATIS has the common purpose in assisting African countries and worldwide delegates in helping propel growth in travel and tourism through innovation in products, destination marketing and investment in sustainable development and infrastructure.

Included in the line-up was a presentation on Destination and Tourism Projects in Africa that are seeking investment, introduced by Paul Hoskins, Director ITIC Ltd and Invest Tourism Ltd. Projects to the value of US$2.5 billion were presented, from nature immersion experiences and a smart city in Mauritius to the Billionaire’s Bay opportunity on the outskirts of Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire. 

The virtual event also brought together speakers from the European Union, Commonwealth, Malaga, Greece, Jamaica and China, all of whom expressed their willingness to collaborate with Africa on its tourism recovery. 

Mr. Ibrahim Ayoub, Group CEO of ITIC and Organiser of the Africa Tourism Investment Summit with WTM Africa, said: “ITIC is proud to contribute on rebuilding and restarting the travel and tourism industry in Africa. We are all smiles to have laid the foundation stones on which the next 2 summits (24th June and 1-3 September 2021) and will continue the dialogue on the challenging current issues which will enable project owners and investors to realise their vision for a sustainable and inclusive future development for the benefit of all Africans. The COVID-19 vaccination campaigns will act as the catalyst in an early recovery of the African continent hopefully by the third quarter of 2021.

“The in-person meeting in Cape Town on 1-3 September 2021 will bring together African Ministers of Tourism so as to elaborate a common action plan to accelerate that recovery. We look forward to stand united in writing together another page of the history of the continent.”

According to Megan Oberholzer, Reed Exhibitions ‎Portfolio Director – Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries, the need to connect is there. “We are really excited about our collaboration with ITIC and the events that we will be co-hosting in the next few months. We hope to see the some of the suggestions that have been shared over the past two days about collaboration in Africa and tourism investment focus unpacked further in our upcoming events. It has been a pleasure to be involved in this important dialogue.”

The Africa Tourism Investment Conference will held on Thursday 24 June 2021, with athird event taking place physically from 1 to 3 September when ITIC and WTM Africa will host “Africa Live” in the City of Cape Town, which will provide project owners, investors and financiers the opportunity to meet in person in individual Deal Rooms facilitating selected participants to showcase their development projects and funding requirements to prospective funders.

The conferences will help drive international awareness and investments in Africa and surrounding Island destinations and act as a catalyst for growth. It will attract private equity firms, institutional investors, fund managers and influencers, who have the power to channel capital and to raise funds by using key regional Stock Exchanges to raise and structure the funds to invest in live and bankable tourism projects.

The objective is to make tourism a driver to boost and develop the other industries with the Eco-System in a sustainable manner – SME within different sectors to support the tourism industry – such agriculture, manufacturing, energy, technology, textile and many of sectors of the economy to create employment, wealth within the country and for the benefit of the people.

For more information on WTM Africa Virtual, visit: www.wtm.com/africa

For more information about the ITIC WTM Africa Virtual Summit, visit https://itic.uk/programmeiticwtmafrica2021/