WTM Africa 2015 welcomes an array of new South African exhibitors

WTM Africa 2015, the leading business-to-business tourism event in Africa, has added an array of new exhibitors from host country South Africa, including some of its major hotels names.

The new faces at WTM Africa – which will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from April 15-17, represent an A-Z of tourism businesses, ranging from marketing representation company Axis Marketing to Zulu Nyala, a game reserve.

Sun International, Fairmount Zimbali Resort and Tsogo Sun are three of the many major hotel names that are new exhibitors for WTM Africa 2015, which will be a three-day event for the first time after last year’s inaugural two-day show.

Sun International, Group Marketing Manager, Alison McKie, said the five-star hotel and casino resorts is exhibiting at WTM Africa for the first time due to the overwhelming success of the inaugural event.

“Sun International is delighted to confirm our participation in World Travel Market Africa 2015,” McKie said.

“The event created a significant impact within the African business and leisure travel markets and we are confident it is the right platform for our properties to build business and business opportunities throughout 2015 and 2016.”

Another new name from the upmarket hotel sector is Fairmont Zimbali Resort, just half an hour from Durban; while the conference market also has a new exhibitor: The Sandton Indaba.

Tsogo Sun, which claims to be Africa’s leading hotel group with 90 properties in several market segments, is yet another new exhibitor from the region for 2015.

Reflecting southern Africa’s diverse wildlife attractions are new exhibitors from game reserves and safari camps, such as Classic Safari Camps of Africa – an association of independent lodges and camps – and Kilima Private Game Reserve and Spa, in Limpopo Province, close to the Kruger National Park. A more quirky animal attraction is the Highgate Ostrich Show Farm.

There are two new exhibitors offering coach services – Mega Coach and Protours Coach Charter – while City Sightseeing, which offers hop-on-hop-off bus tours of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Soweto, has signed up too.

Catering for those who want to sleep under canvas is Tentco, and also making its debut is the South African Youth Travel Confederation, a consortium of backpacker hostels, safaris, tours, transport services, adventure activities, language centers and volunteer projects.

Thebe Reed Exhibitions, Managing Director, Carol Weaving, said: “It’s great to see such a wide range of new exhibitors from such different tourism businesses, and it’s a result of the buzz WTM Africa created last year.

“The success of the inaugural event means it has grown from two to three days, and the exhibition floor space will be 50% bigger, thanks to increased interest from companies around the world.

“WTM Africa 2014 saw almost 4,000 industry professionals negotiate deals worth $314 million (£189 million) – and the sheer diversity of the new exhibitors joining us this time around gives me great confidence that those figures will easily be surpassed.

“As well as the host of new names from South Africa, we also have fresh faces from other parts of Africa, as well as other continents.”

World Travel Market Africa takes place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), as part of Africa Travel Week which includes fellow Reed Travel Exhibitions’ events IBTM Africa and ILTM Africa, and will run from April 15-17. The 2015 event has been expanded by one day to three-days, following the success of the inaugural two-day show.

WTM Africa is part of the WTM Portfolio which also includes World Travel Market, Arabian Travel Market and WTM Latin America.

ETurboNews is a media partner for World Travel Market (WTM).