Africa Travel Week

What Africa Travel Week does

Africa Travel Week (ATW) is a B2B trade show and events portfolio operated by Reed Exhibitions Proprietary Limited (RX Africa), a South African subsidiary of RX Global, which is itself part of RELX Group plc. The business curates a multi-event platform serving the African travel and tourism trade, with flagship events including WTM Africa (general leisure tourism), ILTM Africa (luxury travel), ibtm AFRICA (MICE/business travel), EQUAL Africa (LGBTQ+ travel), Travel Forward (travel technology), the Sports & Events Tourism Exchange (SETE), and the African Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS). Supporting products include the Responsible Tourism Awards (run since 2004 in partnership with ICRT), the ATW Media Awards, the China Ready Workshop (delivered with CBISN), and the year-round ATW Connect digital platform that extends engagement beyond the three-day physical event window.

The underlying technology combines a physical trade show infrastructure at the Cape Town International Convention Centre with a hybrid digital layer — ATW Connect — offering virtual meetings, speed networking, webinars, masterclasses, and on-demand content. Differentiating platform features include a structured pre-scheduled buyer-exhibitor meeting system and year-round digital resource distribution. The business generates revenue through exhibitor participation fees, hosted-buyer and trade-visitor registration, corporate sponsorship of conference stages and awards, and paid educational programmes (e.g., the China Ready Workshop at USD $299 per participant). Quote-based pricing varies by booth size, exhibitor type, and sponsorship tier.

The company serves a dual-sided market: pan-African and international travel suppliers (hotels, lodges, tour operators, DMCs, attractions, transport providers, tourism boards) as exhibitors, and international tourism buyers, MICE planners, and luxury travel advisors as hosted buyers. The 2023 edition of WTM Africa drew over 5,000 registrations and approximately 600 exhibitors, with Responsible Tourism Awards coverage extending to 22 organisations across 13 African countries in 2026. The portfolio sits within a global corporate parent (RELX Group plc, listed on the London and Amsterdam stock exchanges), with Megan Oberholzer serving as Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism and Creative Industries at RX Africa and Megan De Jager as Portfolio Director for WTM Africa.

Name

Africa Travel Week

Legal name

Reed Exhibitions Proprietary Limited

Website

https://atwconnect.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Africa Travel Week is a South Africa-based B2B trade show portfolio operated by RX Africa (RELX Group subsidiary) that runs flagship events including WTM Africa, ILTM Africa, ibtm AFRICA, and EQUAL Africa, connecting African travel suppliers with international buyers through hosted-buyer meetings, conferences, and the year-round ATW Connect digital platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Travel Trade Shows and Exhibitions

NAICS

Travel Agencies (56151), Convention and Visitors Bureaus (561591)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers (THAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Travel & Adventure Shows (MPAGAFAD), Meetings & Group Travel Management (Corporate/MICE) (THALANAH)

Keywords

• Travel trade shows
• Tourism exhibitions
• Hosted buyer programs
• Business travel events
• Responsible tourism awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibitor Participation Fees: Pan-African and international exhibitors pay fees to participate in WTM Africa and sister shows, gaining access to hosted buyers, pre-scheduled meetings, and networking opportunities.
2. Buyer Registration and Hosted Buyer Program: Trade visitors and media delegates register to attend, with a hosted buyer program bringing qualified international buyers who participate in pre-scheduled appointments with exhibitors.
3. Event Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorship of conference stages, awards ceremonies, networking functions, and associated events like Responsible Tourism Awards and ATW Media Awards.
4. Educational Programs and Workshops: Premium training sessions such as the China Ready Workshop (USD $299 per participant) offering CPD credits and certification for tourism professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Africa Travel Week operates a portfolio of B2B travel and tourism trade shows including WTM Africa (general leisure), ILTM Africa (luxury), ibtm AFRICA (MICE), EQUAL Africa (LGBTQ+ travel), Travel Forward (travel technology), Sports & Events Tourism Exchange (SETE), and the African Tourism Investment Summit. Events run annually at the Cape Town International Convention Centre with a hybrid format combining physical exhibitions, pre-scheduled buyer-exhibitor meetings, conference sessions, awards ceremonies, and the year-round ATW Connect digital platform.

Product overview

Africa Travel Week (ATW) is a portfolio of travel and tourism trade shows and events organized by RX Africa (Reed Exhibitions). The portfolio consists of flagship events including WTM Africa (general leisure tourism), ILTM Africa (luxury travel), EQUAL Africa (LGBTQ+ travel), ibtm AFRICA (MICE/business travel), Travel Forward (travel technology), Sports & Events Tourism Exchange (SETE), and African Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS). Supporting products include the ATW Connect digital platform for year-round engagement, the China Ready Workshop training programme, ATW Media Awards, and Responsible Tourism Awards. The portfolio also extends to Decorex Africa design exhibitions. The events operate both as in-person exhibitions and through virtual/hybrid formats, with bolt-on conferences, awards ceremonies, and educational sessions that run throughout the year rather than just during event dates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WTM Africa: World Travel Market Africa - General leisure tourism trade show and conference
• ILTM Africa
• ibtm AFRICA
• Travel Forward
• Sports & Events Tourism Exchange (SETE)
• African Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS)
• EQUAL Africa
• Responsible Tourism Awards
• ATW Media Awards
• Africa Tourism Investment Conference (ATIC)

Products and services

• WTM Africa World Travel Market Africa is the flagship B2B travel trade show bringing together pan-African and international exhibitors with hosted buyers from across the globe, featuring conference sessions, hosted buyer meetings, awards, and networking events.
• ILTM Africa International Luxury Travel Market Africa is a B2B luxury travel event connecting high-end hotels, exclusive safari lodges, and luxury resorts with luxury travel buyers, featuring sensory-led experiences and exclusive networking.
• EQUAL Africa Dedicated LGBTQ+ travel event focused on inclusivity and diversity in African tourism, providing a B2B platform for LGBTQ+-friendly travel suppliers and destinations.
• ibtm AFRICA Business and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions) travel sector event connecting professionals in the business tourism space with African venues and services.
• Travel Forward Africa Travel technology event focused on innovation and digital solutions for the travel and tourism industry, connecting travel tech suppliers with travel trade buyers.
• Sports and Events Tourism Exchange (SETE) Exchange platform for sports tourism and event management professionals, connecting sporting events with tourism opportunities across Africa.
• Africa Tourism Investment Conference (ATIC) / African Tourism Investment Summit (ATIS) Investment summit and conference bringing together governments, investors, and tourism stakeholders to explore sustainable tourism investment opportunities across Africa.
• ATW Connect Digital Platform Digital platform and resource hub for Africa Travel Week providing year-round access to industry news, webinars, virtual events, pre-scheduled buyer-exhibitor meeting scheduling, speed networking, and on-demand content.
• China Ready Workshop Premium one-day intensive training programme (USD $299 per participant) in partnership with CBISN that helps African tourism businesses become China-ready, covering 25+ modules with CPD credits and official certification.
• WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards Awards programme run in partnership with the International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT), recognising organisations across 13 African countries with Gold, Silver, and One-to-Watch trophies in five categories: Championing Cultural Diversity, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Local Economic Benefit, Nature Positive, and Regenerative Tourism.
• ATW Media Awards Awards programme honouring journalists, photographers, and content creators who bring Africa's travel and tourism stories to global audiences; now in its third annual edition.

Quantifiable outcome

• WTM Africa 2023 returned to pre-pandemic scale with over 5,000 registrations and almost 600 exhibitors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• China Travel OnlinecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 January 2024Strategic buyer and media partnership bringing Chinese buyers and tourism stakeholders to WTM Africa for pre-scheduled business meetings with exhibitors. The partnership facilitates engagement with key Chinese tourism decision-makers and includes China Market session during the WTM Africa conference sharing latest outbound market updates.
• International Centre for Responsible Tourism (ICRT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership delivering the WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards program. ICRT provides judging expertise and global connections, with gold winners gaining opportunity to compete in Global Responsible Tourism Awards.
• CBISN (China Business Intelligence Service Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver the China Ready Workshop at WTM Africa, a three-year program (2026-2028) helping African tourism businesses capture share of the Chinese outbound travel market. South Africa became the 55th country in the program in April 2026.
• RX Africa (formerly Reed Exhibitions Africa)flagshipOthersAfrica Travel Week is operated by RX Africa, part of RX (RELX) group. RX is a global leader in trade show organisation, providing the infrastructure, international buyer networks, and marketing reach for ATW events.
• Cape Town TourismminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on destination marketing through the 'Africa Wonders' initiative with Victoria Falls Tourism, redefining how African destinations approach marketing.
• Victoria Falls TourismminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint 'Africa Wonders' partnership with Cape Town Tourism to differentiate African destinations in global marketing efforts.
• RELX Group plcflagshipOthersRELX Group plc is the parent company of RX (Reed Exhibitions). RELX and the RE symbol are trade marks of RELX Group plc, used under license.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WTM London: The flagship World Travel Market event under RX Global, the same parent group as Africa Travel Week. WTM London is the largest and most established travel trade show in the RX portfolio, sharing hosted-buyer programs, conference formats, and the WTM brand architecture that anchors ATW's flagship WTM Africa show.
• ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market): RX-owned portfolio of luxury travel trade shows (Cannes, Africa, Asia, Americas). ILTM Cannes is the global flagship of the same luxury travel sub-brand that ILTM Africa extends into the African market, sharing buyer databases and event infrastructure with ATW.
• IMEX (Frankfurt and America): Major global MICE trade shows organised by the IMEX Group. IMEX America and IMEX Frankfurt are leading competitors in the same MICE/Business travel category served by ibtm AFRICA, with comparable hosted-buyer programs and conference programming.
• FITUR: Spain's flagship international tourism trade fair organised by IFEMA, held annually in Madrid. FITUR shares the B2B travel trade show structure with WTM Africa and serves a similar role as a regional platform connecting domestic/regional suppliers with international buyers.
• SATTE (South Asia Travel & Tourism Exchange): India's leading B2B travel trade show organised by FAIRFEST Media Group. SATTE is comparable as a regional travel trade platform with similar exhibitor/buyer composition, focused on a single high-growth tourism geography similar to Africa Travel Week's positioning.
• IBTM World: RX-owned global MICE trade show held annually in Barcelona. IBTM World is the direct global counterpart to Africa Travel Week's ibtm AFRICA sub-brand, sharing the MICE buyer-exhibitor format and serving the same meetings and incentives vertical.
• Arabian Travel Market (ATM): RX-owned regional travel trade show held annually in Dubai. ATM is the most direct geographic and operational comparable to WTM Africa: similar hosted-buyer model, similar mix of leisure/luxury/MICE sub-segments, and similar position as the convening event for a single continent's travel suppliers with global buyers.
• Tourism Expo Japan: Japan's largest travel trade show, jointly organised by JTA and JNTO. Tourism Expo Japan serves a similar function as a national/regional B2B travel trade platform with international exhibitor participation and hosted buyer programs, comparable in structure to WTM Africa.
• ITE (International Travel Expo) Hong Kong: Hong Kong's leading inbound and outbound travel trade show, operated by ITE Hong Kong. ITE is structurally similar to WTM Africa as a regional travel trade platform combining leisure, MICE and corporate travel segments in a single event.

Broad incumbents

• ITB Berlin: The world's largest travel trade show, organised by Messe Berlin. ITB Berlin is the broad incumbent in the global B2B travel trade show category, sharing exhibitor/buyer formats, conference programming, and hosted-buyer infrastructure with WTM Africa while operating at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ATravelWeek
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6lXBMmDSAwjiPQAGQE4GRg
• Facebookfacebook.com/africatravelweek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/africa-travel-week
• Instagraminstagram.com/africatravelweek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Africa Travel Week