There is just over a month to go for the African Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) & Awards to be held at the Gaborone International Conference Centre in Botswana from October 4 to 6.

The ATLF is a pan-African dialogue platform bringing together key stakeholders of Africa’s travel, tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors to network, share insights, devise strategies for intra-African travel and tourism growth, and develop the promotion of Africa as a travel destination.

The Awards recognise and celebrate change-makers and innovation created by African travel, tourism, hospitality and aviation industries.

The 2023 theme will be ‘Shifting demand dynamics to shape the future of intra-Africa Travel’ and will aim to present distinct networking and business opportunities, and learning programmes relating to intra-African trade, franchising, creative industries and culture, tourism investment, MICE, digitalisation and more.

Award categories include those for the Most Innovative Business Tourism Destination; Leading in Progressive Policies; Outstanding Entrepreneurship; Outstanding Africa Tourism Media & Marketing; Outstanding Accommodation Facility/Group; Women in Leadership; Outstanding Tourism Transportation; Championing Sustainability; and Destination Africa – Lifetime Award.

The forum and awards will be preceded by the African Travel and Tourism Business Exchange, Business-to-Business Session and Exhibition on Tuesday, October 3, and will launch the inaugural AfCFTA Forum of Tourism, Creatives and Culture Industries.

These sessions will facilitate collaboration between suppliers (such as marketing, sales, business development, accommodation and service providers) and travel trade parties (including destination management companies, tour operators, travel agents and OTAs).

The Business Exchange programme will be supplemented by speed marketing, desktop exhibitions and destination showcases. These presentations will be uniquely designed to promote intra-African travel, African tourism destinations, accommodation facilities, attractions and experiences. Furthermore, the events will host cocktail networking platforms to encourage engagement and relationship-building.

Workshops, including an entrepreneurship masterclass, are scheduled for October 3 as one part of this year’s training and capacity-building programme. These will focus on tourism entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship and franchising in travel, tourism and hospitality.

Faculty members for this year’s Forum include Derek Hanekom, Interim Chairman of South African Airways; Jon Danks, CEO of Africa Travel and Tourism Association; Francisco Gómez Durán, Head of the Culture Unit in Unesco’s Regional Office for Southern Africa; Emily Ndoria-Mburu, Director AfCFTA; Margareth Gustavo, Executive Director: Strategy & Branding of Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board; Kamilla Swart, Associate Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University Qatar; Sileshi Girma, State Minister of the Ministry of Tourism of Ethiopia.