ATTA® Group CEO Outlines Africa's Tourism Diversification Push Ahead of Indaba
Virginia Messina, Group CEO of the African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®), has outlined the organisation's strategic direction as Africa's Travel Indaba opens today in Durban, South Africa. Speaking ahead of the event, Messina highlighted ATTA®'s near-1,000-strong membership across 32 African countries and emphasised a deliberate shift in how the continent is being positioned globally - moving beyond nature tourism to spotlight cities, the creative economy, and regional connectivity. Urban destinations including Cape Town, Nairobi, Kigali, Dakar, and Marrakech are central to this repositioning, with gastronomy, contemporary art, design, and wellness increasingly forming part of Africa's tourism offer.
Africa's Travel Indaba, running from 11 to 14 May at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban, is expected to reflect this broadened appeal, with 210 first-time qualified buyers attending from markets including Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, and several African nations. ATTA® will have a record 93 members present at the event. Messina also pointed to the growth of meetings and conventions tourism in markets such as Kenya, Rwanda, and Angola, alongside the continent's expanding audiovisual industry, as further drivers reshaping Africa's global image and attracting a more diverse international audience.
Source: Travel2latam