AFRICA TOURISM PARTNERS CALL UPON AFRICA’S YOUTH TO REGISTER FOR THEIR ANNUAL YOUTH CHALLENGE PROGRAMME
(Posted 23rd June 2021)
Organized by Africa Tourism Partners (ATP) are preparations for the 3 rd edition of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge and Summit now at an
advanced stage. Scheduled for 28th to 30th of July 2021, the Youth Summit will be held in Accra, Ghana.
As a precursor, the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation competition has been running from 10th of May with the deadline for competitor entries now extended to 25th of June 2021.
So far, competition entries have been received from youth innovators from eight (8) African countries including Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Zambia. More entries are expected to come through before the competition closes. The top 5 finalists of the Africa Youth in Tourism Challenge will be introduced to industry leaders, mentors and potential funders and/or partnerships at the summit and announced through various media platforms.
Being a youth-oriented initiative, the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge focuses on skills development and innovation methodologies for youth in leisure and business tourism as well as MICE. It also highlights the need of an ecosystem approach among tourism stakeholders to enable entrepreneurs to grow and develop.
This being the 3 rd year running, the Pan-African summit gathers youth, start-ups (in leisure tourism and MICE) and professionals to harness the potential of this sector by sharing insights, knowledge, experiences and opportunities.
According to Christelle Grohmann, Director at BDO South Africa, the youth challenge is a great opportunity for us the young generation to showcase our innovativeness by thinking outside the box and create something that can contribute to the tourism sector going forward. It is also a tool to inspire other youth to come up with new innovative ideas, explore their potential and overcome their limitations.
On the other hand, the summit will expose some of the opportunities available in
the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions/Events (MICE) and bring possible solutions on how to navigate present and post covid-19 challenges.
Participants in the Summit and competition will benefit in many ways such as:
? career guidance for fresh high school and university graduates interested in travel and tourism and MICE eco-system careers;
? Creating a new exclusive marketplace for African Youth and Start-Ups and SMMEs in leisure tourism, business tourism and MICE
? Gaining insights into supply-chain linkages, market access, funding, business recovery and continuity opportunities between start-ups established & big industry stakeholders across leisure and business travel as well as MICE;
? synergies amongst public sector entities (including National Tourism Organisations, Convention Bureaux and Conference Centres), start-ups, academia, corporations, investors, accelerators.
? The five (5) shortlisted competitors will participate in the finals of the Youth Innovation Summit and Challenge that will take place alongside the annual Africa Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) and Awards scheduled to take place in Rwanda later in mid- November.
To enter the competition and register for the Summit, please click the appropriate
link below:
https://www.tourismleadershipforum.africa/youth-summit-form/
For registration and enquiries, please contact Ms. Rejoice Chishamba at:
rejoice@africatourismpartners.com or call
+27 (0) 11 318 1741 / +27 (0) 81 303 7030.
