Welcome to the MICE Africa daily read for MICE Professionals doing business in Africa.
In today’s topics;
- Air Tanzania expands regional connectivity with a new Dar es Salaam-Kinshasa route.
- ECOWAS launches training to strengthen West Africa’s tourism sector.
- Investors continue to overlook Africa’s tourism startups despite strong market potential.
Air Tanzania Connects Dar es Salaam & Kinshasa: 2025 Flight Launch
Air Tanzania is set to launch direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Kinshasa in March 2025, enhancing connectivity between East and Central Africa. The airline will operate four weekly flights using the Airbus A220-300, a fuel-efficient aircraft designed for passenger comfort. This new route is expected to streamline business travel, boost trade, and strengthen economic ties between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The improved air link will facilitate smoother movement of goods and travelers between two of Africa’s key economic centers. Business professionals, government officials, and tourists will benefit from a more convenient travel schedule, encouraging increased cross-border cooperation. Additionally, the new flights will provide easier access to both countries’ thriving tourism industries, from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park to the DRC’s Virunga National Park.
This expansion aligns with Africa’s broader efforts to enhance intra-continental travel and reduce dependence on foreign carriers. By strengthening regional air connectivity, Air Tanzania contributes to the African Union’s Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) goals. The Dar es Salaam-Kinshasa route marks another step in making African travel more efficient, accessible, and economically viable.
ECOWAS Tourism Training: Boosting West Africa’s Travel Sector
West African tourism is set for an upgrade.
ECOWAS is launching the ECOTOUR 19-29 Training Support to the Implementation of Tourism Regional Policy, a key initiative happening from March 17th to 21st, 2025, in Banjul, The Gambia. This program is geared towards equipping tourism professionals and policymakers with the skills to implement the ECOTOUR 19-29 Action Plan, a strategy focused on protecting tourism heritage, setting clear industry standards, and reinforcing regulatory systems.
Participants will engage in sessions covering strategic priorities, regional cooperation, and ecotourism projects that emphasize biodiversity conservation, community involvement, and sustainable economic growth. By aligning national policies with regional objectives, ECOWAS plans to strengthen tourism as a driver of economic progress, cultural preservation, and job creation across West Africa.
Emerald Holding Acquires Luxury Travel Event Leader: Expanding Global Reach
Emerald Holding is expanding its luxury travel event portfolio with the acquisition of This is Beyond, a London-based leader in high-end travel experiences. The deal, set to finalize in the second quarter of this year, brings a prestigious lineup of global events under Emerald’s wing. This is Beyond has built a reputation for curating exclusive events tailored for top-tier travel professionals, emphasizing sustainability, cutting-edge design, and high-impact networking.
This acquisition strengthens Emerald’s position in luxury travel, integrating a $1.3 trillion market known for its growth and innovation. Events such as PURE Life Experiences in Marrakech, LE Miami, and We Are Africa in Cape Town will now fall under Emerald’s banner, alongside Further East in Bali and Do Not Disturb in Italy. Founder Serge Dive and the entire team will join Emerald, ensuring continuity in vision while leveraging expanded resources for better event quality and global influence.
By combining Emerald’s scale with This is Beyond’s creativity, the partnership aims to reshape luxury and experiential travel events. This move signals new opportunities for collaboration and innovation in a sector where exclusivity and personalized experiences define success.
Untapped Potential: Why Investors Are Missing Out on African Tourism Startups
Investors are overlooking Africa’s tourism startups, despite the sector contributing 7% to the continent’s GDP. At the recent WiT Africa event, Ben Peterson of Purple Elephant Ventures revealed that in the past five years, only 10 tourism startups secured funding, totaling just $12.9 million. In contrast, Peterson’s own company raised nearly half that amount alone. The challenge? Most investors follow rigid sector mandates that exclude tourism, despite its vast potential.
Chris Hemmeter of Thayer Ventures emphasized that by 2030, one in four global consumers will be African. Yet startup activity in tourism remains low. Zachariah George of Launch Africa Ventures attributes this to venture capital prioritizing financial inclusion, e-commerce, and healthcare over tourism. He believes local investors will be key in changing this, noting a shift where African funds now play a larger role in startup investment.
Beyond funding, investor bias and bureaucratic challenges slow tourism growth. Global investors often impose Western models, failing to support locally tailored solutions. Mike Joubert of iXperience criticized South Africa’s sluggish tourism sector, citing political interference as a major setback. While countries like Australia excel in branding and innovation, Africa lags behind. Experts agree: for tourism startups to thrive, investors must rethink their strategies, and governments must ease regulatory hurdles.
That’s it for today.