Experience Africa 2025 opened the doors of today with purpose, energy and record participation. With 255 buyers, 207 exhibition companies and 8,000 pre-scheduled meetings over the next three days, the event will continue to serve as an important hub for building businesses and strengthening Africa's presence in global tourism.
Chris Mears, CEO of the Atta® Event, welcomed representatives and recognized the community that has moved the platform forward.
The conversation industry
The opening keynote session led by Michael Jackson and Bev Hancock invited representatives of the delegates to co-create the conversation using real-time polls and live feedback. The room was engaged, and was reflective and honest. And one theme became loud and clear. It's a sustainability issue.
Referring to a survey on Booking.com, revealing that 77% of travelers around the world want to stay better than they found their destination, Michael sets the tone for a deeper discussion of how the industry not only meets its demand, but also leads it.
Key takeout
•Sustainability is a strategic advantage
Sustainability is not a side conversation. Now it is a key driver of commercial success, with benefits including attracting conscious travelers, supporting community improvements, increasing brand loyalty and justifying premium pricing.
•Live insights from the room
Representatives identified the most pressing trends re-changing travel across the continent: slow travel, less impactful tourism, and a call for greater reliability and transparency
• Six trends that define the future
Michael shared sustainability trends across six industry-wide, supported by AI-driven research and live response. Regeneration travel, circular economy of tourism, climate-conscious itinerary, first model of community, impact of next-generation travelers, realising the Iguital.
Audience insights
Through Menimeter and Wire, Delegates highlighted key ideas that went on throughout the event report.
•Reliability is important – Representatives want action, not marketing
• Improvement of the community remains central – local benefits must be part of all services
• Transparency builds trust – Certification and honest reporting are key to reliability
Sierra Leone: A quiet comeback with clear vision
Fatmata Carew, general manager of the Sierra Leone Tourism Board, quietly returned to the travel map, shared the country's honest and hopeful photos.
Access has now been made easy with direct flights that connect London's Gatwick and Freetown three times a week. And the country is ready to explore with fresh eyes. Fatmata spoke about the Sierra Leonean-led tourism industry, shaped by communities and culture, promoting a new sense of ownership. Sierra Leone is not trying to become the next big thing. It simply invites you to come and see the right kind of traveler for yourself.
What's going on on the ground?
2025 has been declared the year of Sierra Leone's ecotourism year, with an emphasis on community-based travel and sustainable wildlife sanctuaries, such as Takugama, provide an unusual opportunity to see chimpanzees in their natural habitat, a key historic site from the transatlantic slave trade. Untouched
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Flywire: Free payment for global travel
Ben Milnes, global payments director at Flywire, provided fast and practical sessions on what every travel business wants.
In just 15 minutes, Ben unraveled the real challenges of cross-border payments and how Flywire simplifies them using one unified platform. From 140 currencies support to same-day settlements, Flywire is dedicated to the travel industry.
Important takeouts:
Reduce transaction fees by up to 50%. Avoid fund holds and delayed settlements provide guests with flexible, secure, local payment options.
As Ben said, “If you've ever worked on international payments, currency disruptions, or slow settlements, this is your chance to fix it.”
For more information, please visit flywire.com
I'm looking ahead to the second day
Day 2 is where ideas turn into actions.
Pieter Geldenhuys leads the hands-on AI Masterclass and provides delegates with practical tools to tackle real business challenges. At lunchtime, South Africa Tourism hosts a high-tech panel to explore how digital disruption is reshaping the dynamics of buyer suppliers.
On this day, we will be rapping at the ATTA® Summer Party. A chance to connect with networking highlights and a more relaxed setting.
Representatives have already arranged their schedules on the app and share insights about wires.
Would you be here? you will.
