Cape Town: World Travel Market Africa is back in and is igniting the town and the continent. It is a premier tourism gathering that has returned to the Cape Town International Convention Centre from April 09 to 11, 2025.
The 2025 edition of World Travel Market (WTM) Africa is taking place under the theme ‘Ignite Africa’. The event will bring together the industry leaders and role-players for panels, conferences, award ceremonies and networking opportunities.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that Cape Town is proud to welcome travel and tourism professionals from around the world to the Mother City for World Travel Market Africa 2025. He noted that this has become a must-attend event for anyone with a interest in tourism on the continent. The 2025 programme is packed with conferences, meetings and discussion panels which aims at taking this crucial industry to the new heights.
Lewis further stated that they are eager to show delegates that why Cape Town is considered as the leading tourist destination of the continent. Moreover, the city has become a part of the conversations around growing every single aspect of travel to and within Africa. He wishes that organisers and everyone are attending a wonderfully successful WTM Africa.
Additionally, they are continuously focusing on specific topics such as luxury travel, the LGBTQ+ visitor market, ‘bleisure’ travel, responsible tourism and investment opportunities. The 2025 expo will see the new inclusion of platforms such as an aviation conference and a youth development section that will highlight career opportunities for young people looking to be a part of the industry.
Considering this, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth and Tourism – Alderman James Vos said that the City of Cape Town is once again proud to support World Travel Market Africa as it brings together the top thinkers and brands that are helping to sustain and expand the incredible travel continent and tourism market.
It is a space for learning insights on where the industry is going, but it is also the site where real industry connections and collaborations are made that grow jobs and businesses.
Vos expressed that their mission is clear, to use platforms like WTM Africa, to convert interest into arrivals and arrivals into real economic opportunities for the local hospitality businesses. So to do this all, they must go back to the roots by playing with Africa’s strengths, rich culture, diverse cuisine, thrilling adventure offerings and vibrant communities that are filled with authentic products and places. This is what sets Cape Town apart from other and this is how it will turn curiosity into confirmed bookings.
City of Cape Town will also be back at the market with another innovative stand that presents the best of the city. As per Vos, in 2025, Cape Town’s stand will centre on the ethos of responsible tourism and will feature several sustainable projects such as upcycled bags and display cabinets made from previous WTM stand components.
Furthermore, again there will be workspaces for delegates to hold private meetings and the stand will showcase the iconic aspects of Cape Town that makes it a must-visit destination.
WTM Africa 2025 has brought together almost 5,752 industry professionals from around 99 countries. Over 10,505 pre-scheduled meetings and 126 conference sessions are set to take place in this three-days event.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith has also shared his opinion and said that the partnership of the City of Cape Town with World Travel Market Africa goes back over a decade and the collaboration has been instrumental in shining the spotlight on tourism in Cape Town and South Africa, for the rest of the continent.
Being Africa’s leading Travel and Tourism Trade Show, WTM Africa has been the perfect illustration of how events can be a catalyst for tourism and economic growth on the continent. The city is proud to support WTM Africa to ensure the conversations on igniting African tourism.