WTM Africa 2026 Unveils Its Most Ambitious Programme Yet
- ATA
- Mar 31
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 7
Cape Town, South Africa, 31 March 2026 - With just two weeks to go before the start of the event, WTM Africa 2026 is calling on travel and tourism professionals across the continent and. beyond to secure their place at this year’s show. Three days, 70+ sessions, and the full breadth of African tourism’s most pressing conversations, live at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 13–15 April 2026.
“This year’s content agenda reflects the most pressing trends and opportunities influencing Africa’s tourism sector,” said Olivia Gradidge, Marketing Manager at RX Africa. “Each session is designed as a resource for attendees to learn, share knowledge, and better understand where their next big opportunities or pitfalls lie.”
Among the headline additions to this year’s programme is the Wine Tourism Track, developed in partnership with the Wine Tourism Conference, with dedicated sessions exploring how destinations can position themselves in this high-value and fast-growing segment. The track culminates in the premiere launch of a Blaauwklippen documentary, complete with a curated Visit Stellenbosch wine tasting experience on 14 April at 17:00.
“We are proud to showcase not just our wines, but the full experience of Blaauwklippen, where heritage meets modern hospitality, and every guest becomes part of our story,” said Craig Bester, Chief Brand Executive at Blaauwklippen Wine Estate.
IBTM Africa returns with a focused examination of the MICE sector, while the relaunch of SETE (Sports & Events Tourism Exchange), in partnership with Nielsen Sports, reinforces Africa’s growing role in global sports tourism. NextGen Ready sessions, developed in partnership with the African Youth in Tourism & Hospitality Association, address tourism's emerging skills gap and the hybrid roles combining technology with human talent. WiT Africa and Innovation City Cape Town will host the WiT Next Generation Leaders Roundtable on 13 April, powered by Booking.com. Confirming this year’s theme of ‘Leadership Qualities in the Age of AI’, WiT Founder Yeoh Siew Hoon said: “We’ll welcome industry coaches and mentors with under-35 rising stars in Africa to brainstorm the skills and traits they need to thrive as travel enters a new, tech-enabled and human-led phase.”
Sustainability remains central to the programme through the Responsible Tourism Conference and Awards, while Speed Networking, sponsored by SimplyBiz Nedbank, also returns by popular demand.
As Host City, Cape Town is ready to welcome the travel and tourism professionals, buyers, and industry leaders converging on the CTICC from across the globe. “This is where the real work happens – on the floor, through conversations, and in the partnerships that drive our visitor economy,” said James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth. “Travel professionals from every corner of the world come to Cape Town for WTM Africa, and that global gathering is what makes this event so powerful. Tourism is a team sport, and we grow it together.”
Gradidge confirmed that the three-day programme is built for connection and commercial impact. “WTM Africa 2026 is where the conversations that matter most to this industry will happen, and where the connections made will translate into real business. Three days, one room, and an agenda built to move the industry forward. If you’re not yet registered, now is the time"
Register now: https://www.wtm.com/africa/en-gb/enquire.html
View the full programme: www.wtm.com/africa/en-gb/whats-on/programme.html#/sessions
-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.
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.
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
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
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.
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/
