REED LAUNCHES WTM AFRICA

Reed Travel Exhibitions has announced the launch of World Travel Market Africa – as part of the new Africa Travel Week. Africa Travel Week will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, from April 28 – May 3, 2014 and sees WTM Africa co-locate alongside fellow Reed Travel Exhibitions’ events IBTM Africa and ILTM Africa. WTM Africa is a two-day event being held in Cape Town’s International Convention Centre May 2-3 and described as the leading B2B exhibition for Africa’s leisure travel industry, bringing the world to Africa and promoting Africa to the world’s leading source markets. WTM Africa will attract exhibitors from all categories of the leisure travel industry within sub-Sahara Africa as well as North African destinations, aligning itself with sister events; WTM, WTM Latin America, Arabian Travel Market and International French Travel Market Top Resa. Africa’s tourism industry was 8.7% of the continent’s GDP in 2011 at $164 billion, making it the fourth largest sector and employing 19 million people (8% of total jobs), according to research by World Travel and Tourism Council. The WTTC predicts growth of 4.8% over the next 10 years, growing at practically the same rate as the overall African economy and making it the fourth fastest growing sector in the continent. WTM Africa follows on from the hugely successful launch event of WTM Latin America in São Paulo in April. (http://www.wtmafrica.com)