New industry report, released on day one of Africa Travel Week, delivers an honest assessment of the continent’s current tourism landscape, and issues a clear warning:
the post-pandemic grace period is over.
Cape Town: Africa Travel Week, built by RX Africa, has released its annual State of the Industry Report. The comprehensive, data-driven report examines the forces transforming travel and tourism across the continent, from aviation access and AI-driven distribution to sustainability compliance, inclusion and the next generation workforce.
The report arrives at a pivotal moment. Africa welcomed 81 million international visitors in 2025 – 8% growth, the fastest of any region globally – and aviation capacity surged 13.7% to 182.4 million departure seats. Yet the headline numbers mask a more fractured reality: Central and Western Africa recorded 0% aviation growth while Eastern Africa surged 24.3%; fewer than 5% of African hospitality properties hold third-party sustainability certification, despite the EU’s greenwashing ban activating in September 2026; and 72% of Gen Z now use AI to plan travel, meaning operators without machine-readable inventory are invisible before the conversation even begins.
“This report explores current themes and trends,” said Olivia Gradidge, Marketing Manager, WTM Africa & ILTM Africa. “Including trust, AI and travel tech, traveller psychology, sustainability and authenticity.”
Commissioned to Big Ambitions, RX Africa’s content, communications and marketing agency, the report draws on contributions from more than 25 industry leaders, academics, and practitioners across the continent, including environmental expert Dr Louise de Waal, director of the Blood Lions campaign to end commercial captive lion breeding and canned hunting, Judy Kepher Gona, founder and executive director at Sustainable Travel and Tourism Agenda (STTA), and Luckson Zambuko, Founder of the African Youth in Tourism and Hospitality Association.
“What struck us most when compiling this report was not the scale of the opportunity – that has always been evident – but the specificity of what is now required to capture it,” said Dorine Reinstein, Content Director, Big Ambitions. “The operators and destinations that are winning in 2026 are not the ones with the best product, but the ones with the best proof. Proof of access, proof of trust, proof of sustainability, proof of welcome. That shift– from aspiration to verification – is the defining commercial reality this report addresses.”
The full report, including a ten-point manifesto for African tourism stakeholders, is available at https://soi2026.yop.co.za/ – required reading for every operator, investor, policymaker, and destination marketer with a stake in the future of African tourism.
It was introduced by Carol Weaving, Managing Director of RX Africa, with a video at the opening ceremony of WTM Africa on Monday, 13 April, and supported by a panel discussion on the Future Stage on Wednesday, 15 April.
The panel, sponsored by LIFT and moderated by Dorine Reinstein, included David Frost, CEO of SATSA; Judy Kepher Gona, Director of Sustainable Travel & Tourism Africa; Kwakye Donkor, CEO of Africa Tourism Partners; Liesel van Zyl, Head of Positive Impact and Product Development at Go2Africa; and Rashid Toefy, Deputy Director-General for Economic Operations at the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism.
The full video can be found here: WTM Africa 2026: ATW State of the Industry Report Launch
-ENDS-
Issued by: Big Ambitions
Contact: Sonnette Fourie
Tel: +27 81 072 2869
Email: sonnette@bigambitions.co.za
Notes to editors:
About CBISN
CBISN is a leader in market intelligence and capacity-building services for those engaging with the Chinese outbound tourism market. Their partnership with WTM Africa aims to provide African stakeholders with actionable insights and tools to welcome and serve Chinese visitors more effectively.
Now in its 33nd year, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Held annually at the Dubai World Trade Centre, ATM 2024 spanned 12 halls, making it the largest edition to date. The event attracted over 47,000 attendees and more than 35,000 visitors (including 6,000+ high-value buyers) and over 2,550 exhibitors and representatives from over 161 countries. In 2025, ATM will expand to 13 halls, growing across all sectors, and will continue to be a crucial gathering for the global travel and tourism industry. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #ATMDubai
ATM takes place from 4 – 7 May 2026, at the Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai.
https://www.wtm.com/atm/en-gb.html
Arabian Travel Week is a week-long festival of events alongside Arabian Travel Market 2025. Providing a renewed focus for the Middle East’s travel and tourism sector, it includes Start-Up Competition, Influencers’ Event, GBTA Business Travel Forums, and ATM Travel Tech. The event also features ATM Buyer Networking and a series of country forums.
https://www.wtm.com/arabian-travel-week/en-gb.html
About RX
RX is a global leader in events and exhibitions, leveraging industry expertise, data, and technology to build businesses for individuals, communities, and organisations. With a presence in 25 countries across 42 industry sectors, RX hosts approximately 350 events annually. RX is committed to creating an inclusive work environment for all our people. RX empowers businesses to thrive by leveraging data-driven insights and digital solutions. RX is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.rxglobal.com.
About RELX
RELX is a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. RELX serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs more than 36,000 people over 40% of whom are in North America. The shares of RELX PLC, the parent company, are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York stock exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX. *Note: Current market capitalisation can be found at http://www.relx.com/investors
World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events and online portals across four continents. The events are Arabian Travel Market, WTM London, WTM Latin America and WTM Africa.
WTM London is the world’s most influential travel & tourism event for the global travel community. The show is the ultimate destination for those seeking a macro view of the travel industry and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping it. WTM London is where influential travel leaders, buyers and high-profile travel companies gather to exchange ideas, drive innovation, and accelerate business outcomes.
Next event: 3 to 5 November 2026 at ExCel London
WTM Latin America is held annually in São Paulo and attracts more than 29,000 tourism professionals during the three-day event. The event offers a qualified content combined with networking and business opportunities. In its most recent edition, in 2024, WTM Latin America maintained its focus on the effective generation of business and managed to secure the early scheduling of more than six thousand meetings that were held between buyers, travel agents, and exhibitors. WTM Latin America contents are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Next event: 14 to 16 April 2026, Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, Brasil
latinamerica.wtm.com
WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. In 2024, WTM Africa facilitated more than 10 thousand unique pre-scheduled appointments, an increase of more than 8% compared to 2023 and welcomed more than 10 thousand visitors (unaudited), 25% more than 2023.
Next event: 13 to 15 April 2026 – Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town http://africa.wtm.com/
About ATW Connect: Africa Travel Week’s digital arm, is a virtual hub packed to the seams with interesting content, industry news and insights, and the opportunity to hear from experts on a variety of topics in our new monthly webinar series. All with the aim to keep all of us in the travel and tourism industry connected. ATW Connect focuses on inbound and outbound markets for general leisure tourism, luxury travel and the MICE/business travel sector as well as travel technology.
https://atwconnect.com/
WTM Global Hub, is the WTM Portfolio online portal created to connect and support travel industry professionals around the world. The resource hub offers the latest guidance and knowledge to help exhibitors, buyers and others in the travel industry face the challenges of the global coronavirus pandemic. WTM Portfolio is tapping into its global network of experts to create content for the hub. https://hub.wtm.com/
