Organizers of Akwaaba African Travel Market in collaboration with ATQ News, Africa’s foremost online travel news portal, have announced the Africa Top 100 Tour Operators. The Akwaaba African Travel Market awards and recognition will take place during the 14th edition of the annual travel show and exhibition which will hold from the 9th to 11th September 2018 at the Eko Hotel and Suites Lagos.
The 14th Akwaaba African Travel Market will also host Africa Tour Operators Conference. During the session, the theme, “The Role of DMCs and DMOs in Sustainable Destination Marketing in Africa will be discussed with sub – topics:
1. What are the Challenges? 2. Should it be Competition or Corporation? 3. What are the Effective Models? 4. Who is Responsible?
To this end Akwaaba African Travel market is pulling together all major outbound Tour Operators in Africa to a Summit in Lagos on the 10th of September. This Summit will enable players from Different countries to build partnership and explore new opportunities to grow.
“Our vision is to stimulate Intra Africa Tourism. We need to get at least 10% of Africans to travel within Africa. This can only work with the support of Tour Operators. We are going a step further this year to recognize and celebrate the core professional outbound Tour Operators who are at the fore of attracting and moving Africans outside their own countries to explore the abundance of the beauties of our Africa.
Africa remains a great goldmine whose tourism potentials remain unmatched and untapped.
Africa is a continent of Over 1 billion people but receives only 6% of the global tourist Arrivals. As the middle class and number of Travellers increase there is a need to organize the Tourism and Travel landscape by growing scale. Some organizations have grown Continent wide Operations but most Operators are still small and limited to their countries. There is a need to organize the Tour Operators on a larger scale across countries
According to the World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region where Travel and Tourism competitiveness is the least developed. Although regional performance has increased, it has improved less compared to other parts of the world. Southern Africa remains the strongest sub-region, followed by Eastern Africa and then Western Africa. Yet, on average, Eastern Africa is the most improved region, while Southern Africa has experienced a slight decline. And that considering the size and the rich cultural and natural resources, the 63 million tourists visiting the continent in 2017 remain low”.
It is against this background that the Africa Top 100 Tour Operators were chosen. Only Destination Marketing Companies (DMCs) that market mainly Regional Destinations were selected.
Tourism is the largest employer of labour in the world and is known to mop up large numbers of employable youth in most countries.
Below is the list of the winners
1. Makgale Tours-South Africa
2. Mount Zion Tours-South Africa
3. Thompsons Holidays – South Africa
4. Tribe Communications – South Africa
5. Earthbound Travel & Incentives – South Africa
6. Sundown Incentives – South Africa
7. Siyapula Tours – South Africa
8. African Eagle – South Africa
9. African Safari Guru – South Africa
10. Kenadora – South Africa
11. Great Lakes Safaris Uganda
12. Churchill Safaris Uganda
13. Around Africa Uganda
14. Let’s Go Travel Uganda
15. Prime Safaris Uganda
16. MICE Uganda
17. Go Places Africa DMC – Kenya
18. Destination Connect – Kenya
19. Big Foot – Kenya
20. Convette Group – Kenya
21. Go Africa Travels – Kenya
22. Silverbird Tours – Kenya
23. UNIGLOBE Let’s Go Travels- Kenya
24. Travel Choice – Egypt
25. Premier Travel – Zimbabwe
26. Malachite Travel & Tours – Zimbabwe
27. Falcon Tours – Zimbabwe
28. Skylinks Travel – Malawi
29. African Adventure Tours – Gambia
30. Gambia Tours – Gambia
31. AIKAMBA Tours – Gambia
32. Discovery Tours – Gambia
33. SDV Voyages Brazzaville – Congo
34. Kadd Investimento LDA – Angola
35. Wildlife Tours – Rwanda
36. Primate Safaris – Rwanda
37. Thousand Hills – Rwanda
38. Songa Africa – Rwanda
39. Terra Icognito – Rwanda
40. Great Expeditions – Rwanda
41. Tour Brokers International – Nigeria
42. Diamonds & Pearls – Nigeria
43. Goge Africa – Nigeria
44. Wakanow – Nigeria
45. Peacock Travel & Tours – Nigeria
46. WONTRA – Nigeria
47. Foshizi Tours – Nigeria
48. Amazing African Escape – Nigeria
49. Aviator Tours – Nigeria
50. Abay Tours – Nigeria
51. Once Upon a Destination – Nigeria
52. Dial Travel – Nigeria
53. FlyBoku – Nigeria
54. FIDOL Trip – Nigeria
55. CMD Tours – Nigeria
56. Dees Travels – Nigeria
57. Hadur Travels – Nigeria
58. Topaz Travels – Nigeria
59. Travel Kulture – Nigeria
60. Staple Tours – Ghana
61. Kaya Tours – Ghana
62. Pacific Tours (President TOUGHA) – Ghana
63. Stellar Tours – Ghana
64. Dodi Tours – Ghana
65. Apstar Tours Ltd. Accra, Ghana
66. Sunseekers Tours – Ghana
67. Doscar travels – Ghana
68. Land Tours – Ghana
69. M & J Tour – Ghana
70. Japo Tours – Ghana
71. Afrique Voyages – Cote D’Ivoire
72. Ivoire Voyages Tourisme – Cote D’Ivoire
73. Cristal tour – Benin
74. Emeraude Tour Benin – Benin
75. AAT Benin – Benin
76. GOTA Voyage – Benin
77. Waheguru Travels – Benin
78. God’s Own Travel Agency Lome –Togo
79. ATM Voyage – Togo
80. Alba Travels – Togo
81. Hope Travels – Togo
82. TRANSAFRICA – Togo
83. Zara Tours – Tanzania
84. Palm Tours – Tanzania
85. Afrobush Tours and Safaris – Tanzania
86. Leopard Tour and Safaris – Tanzania
87. Sunny Safaris – Tanzania
88. Kearsley Safaris – Tanzania
89. Kibo Guides – Tanzania
90. Easy Escape – Botswana