Africa Travel Week

In honour of Women’s Month, WTM Africa is announcing early updates to its Women in Tourism (WiT) programme, running alongside WTM Africa 2027, from 7–9 April 2027 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). The initiative will centre on strategic skills development, supporting women across the tourism sector to build the confidence, knowledge and networks to grow their careers and contribute to the industry’s future.

The China Ready® Workshop will return to WTM Africa 2027, offering African tourism stakeholders the opportunity to gain the practical knowledge and market intelligence needed to tap into one of the world’s largest outbound travel markets. Presented by Marcus Lee, CEO of China Travel Online and founder of the internationally recognised China Ready® Programme, the workshop forms part of a three-year development series running alongside WTM Africa from 2026 to 2028.

RX Africa’s Megan De Jager has been named Mentor of the Year at the 2026 Women in MICE Awards. Her win comes at a critical time for South Africa’s business events sector. With upcoming international conferences expected to inject nearly R1bn into the economy, the industry must urgently close a looming skills gap to successfully deliver on this potential. To convert this international interest into repeat business, the sector relies on leaders who actively invest in people.

When discussions turn to Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the conversation almost always lands on the same subject: funding. Access to finance is a persistent problem but treating it as the defining obstacle misses something bigger. Most businesses aren’t held back by capital alone. They’re held back by a lack of access to buyers, to distribution networks, to strategic partners, and to the international markets where real growth occurs.

As Kruger National Park marks 100 years, Painted Wolf Wines today launches the Kruger Carnivore Fundraiser, a six-month national campaign to raise R700,000 for carnivore conservation in and around the park, in partnership with the South African National Parks (SANParks) Honorary Rangers and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT).

Four days. Hundreds of brands. Thousands of ideas. One of the most anticipated design events on the African calendar. Decorex Cape Town returns to the CTICC this June with lifestyle partners Santam, Lexus and City of Cape Town. The countdown to Decorex Cape Town has officially begun.

Over 600 exhibitors. Ten design restaurants. Twenty immersive lighting, architecture and furniture installations, inspirational bathroom and kitchen features, DIY renovation workshops and interactive live cooking studios. Decorex Africa 2026, proudly sponsored by Santam and Lexus, is South Africa’s biggest design showcase, and this year, the brief is living more gently. The Cape Town edition is additionally supported by the City of Cape Town.

St Helena Government is pleased to learn that Jonathan, the world’s oldest known land animal and a much-loved resident of the island, has been officially recognised as a Guinness World Records (GWR) ICON. The announcement forms part of a global campaign led by Guinness World Records, celebrating Guinness World Records holders that have achieved exceptional international recognition and significance. Jonathan’s inclusion highlights his extraordinary longevity and global appreciation.

Africa Travel Week (ATW) has announced the winners of its 2026 Media Awards, honouring the journalists, photographers and content creators bringing Africa’s travel and tourism stories to global audiences. Now in its third year, the ATW Media Awards received a record number of entries – over 170 across five categories: Sustainability Feature Award, Visual Tourism Award, Tourism News Award, Destination Feature Award and the Young Talent Award.

The morning after the China Ready Index® (Africa Rankings) session drew an impressive crowd at WTM Africa 2026, the momentum continued. On 15 April, the China Ready Workshop by CBISN made its South African debut – a sold-out, two-hour premium training session that marked a significant milestone: South Africa becoming the 55th country in the world to formally launch the China Ready Programme.