WTM Africa 2026 Is upon Us! Will I See You There?
Every travel-related group chat I am in is pinging with the message: “Are you going to WTM Africa?”
Next week, thousands of tourism professionals, deal-makers, idea generators, and the occasional free branded pen enthusiast will descend on the Cape Town International Convention Centre for WTM Africa 2026, running from 13–15 April.
And this year’s programme is quite the ambitious one: Three days, more than 70 sessions, and a full buffet of conversations covering the most pressing trends and opportunities in Africa’s tourism sector. From AI to wine tourism, to sustainability and the next generation of travel leaders, they're talking about everything. If you work in the travel or hospitality industry (or you'd like to) and you enjoy being in the same room as the people shaping it, this is your moment.
Things I Am Looking Forward to at This Year's WTM Africa:
- The Wine Tourism Track: WTM has teamed up with the Wine Tourism Conference to explore how destinations can position themselves in this high-value travel niche. They’re also premiering a Blaauwklippen documentary on April 14th at 17:00, followed by a curated tasting with Visit Stellenbosch. (In Cape Town, networking often involves a glass of wine in hand. Purely for professional reasons, of course.)
This was last year's Visit Stellenbosch event:
- IBTM Africa returns with a focus on the MICE industry—meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions—which remains one of the most lucrative segments of global travel.
- The Sports & Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) is making a comeback, this time in partnership with Nielsen Sports. With Africa increasingly hosting major sporting events, the relaunch highlights the continent’s rising role in global sports tourism.
- The NextGen Ready sessions, developed with the African Youth in Tourism & Hospitality Association, explore the evolving skills needed in modern tourism careers. Think hybrid roles that combine technology, data, and good old-fashioned human hospitality.
- WiT Africa and Innovation City Cape Town will host the WiT Next Generation Leaders Roundtable on 13 April, powered by Booking.com, focusing on Leadership qualities in the age of AI.
- Responsible tourism continues to be a major focus at WTM Africa, with the Responsible Tourism Conference and Awards once again forming a key part of the programme.
- Speed Networking, sponsored by SimplyBiz Nedbank, is also back by popular demand. Expect a fast-paced session where connections are made, deals begin, and someone inevitably runs out of business cards halfway through.
And the thing I’m looking forward to the most is exploring the many exhibits and discovering more amazing tourism offerings to experience and write about here.
Register for WTM Africa 2026
Next week, the CTICC will once again become the epicentre of African tourism, three days where ideas, partnerships and perhaps a few glasses of wine could shape the industry’s next chapter. It's not too late to register.
I will be there. If you’d like to chat about how we can work together, please feel free to get in touch.
Until then:
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