WTM AFRICA 2025: Bigger, Bolder & Better

The 11th edition of WTM Africa, a leading pan-Africa travel trade show, that was held in Cape Town in South Africa was not only the largest-ever edition of WTM Africa, but also integrated several new formats and issues which indicated that the travel and tourism industry across the African continent has evolved dramatically in a decade, making WTM Africa 2025 a bigger, better and bolder event than ever.

- VARSHA SINGH

With as many as 742 exhibitors from around the world and buyers and participants from 96 nations from five continents, WTM Africa 2025, the 11th edition of the leading travel trade show in Africa, scaled new heights at its homeground in Cape Town, South Africa.

According to the organisers, in 2025, the event reached unprecedented heights across all parametres, ranging from exhibitors that joined the show from new countries and geographies to buyers and visitors catering to not just the popular but niche segments as well. The event also saw a larger number of discussions and sessions that were organised, besides the ongoing pre-fixed B2B meetings between buyers and exhibitors, not just from South Africa or Africa, but around the world.

Among the 742 exhibitors from 96 nations, were those from the countries that participated for the first time in WTM Africa. These included exhibitors from six new destinations such as Zambia, Netherlands, Qatar, Croatia, Sierra Leone and São Paulo in Brazil. The event has also attracted 13 new buyer countries, including Peru, Algeria, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Thailand, Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Romania, Finland, Ireland and Kuwait. In addition, WTM Africa 2025 also registered a record 38,559 pre-fixed B2B meetings.

According to the organisers, the fact that this year’s WTM Africa was the largest-ever across all benchmarks, indicated that the tourism industry across Africa was growing strongly.