St Helena is set to participate in the World Travel Market (WTM) Africa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from April 10 to April 12, 2024. This significant travel event will feature representatives from over a hundred destinations and thousands of industry attendees. The show aims to facilitate sales leads, product launches, market entry, brand awareness, media coverage, and competitive analysis.
Representing St Helena at the event will be Head of Tourism Matt Joshua and Tourism Manager Dianne Venning. They will be joined by Julie George from Aaron’s Adventure Tours and Derek Richards from Island Images, two local destination management companies.
WTM Africa is part of Africa Travel Week, which runs from April 8 to April 12, 2024. This week includes various travel shows and tourism investment events. Director of Economic Development Damian Burns will attend the Tourism Investment Forum Africa (TIFA) during this period. Burns plans to present investment opportunities aligned with St Helena's Sustainable Economic Development Strategy to potential investors worldwide.
Additionally, St Helena Tourism will participate in the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) trade show earlier in the week.
Upon returning to St Helena on April 13, 2024, members of the Economic Development Portfolio team will be accompanied by a group of 26 tour operators, travel agents, and potential investors. This delegation will engage in St Helena Tourism’s ‘St Helena Showcase’ event from April 13 to April 20, 2024. The event aims to provide an understanding of the island's tourism and investment potential through organized activities and events for each sector.
Head of Tourism Matt Joshua expressed enthusiasm about these opportunities: “I’m very excited about the opportunities that the WTM, ILTM and the TIFA will present to St Helena. They will put us in front of the people that can make a real economic impact on not just our tourism sector but other key economic sectors on the island too.”
He further added: “One of the biggest challenges we face once we’ve engaged tour operators and potential investors is getting them to the island to experience the destination first hand. Sometimes years of engagement with tour operators falls flat because we can’t get interests to solidify. The showcase event later this month will provide an opportunity for attendees to immerse themselves in our beautiful island and see for themselves the range of opportunities available.”
The St Helena Showcase event intends to connect UK and South African travel firms with local suppliers while highlighting what St Helena has to offer through unique experiences. It also seeks to explore investment possibilities and foster collaborations with local service providers.
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