(Posted 18th June 2025)
The African Travel and Tourism Association (ATTA®) has officially revealed the speaker line-up for Experience Africa 2025 — the UK’s only trade show dedicated exclusively to showcasing the continent’s tourism sector at this scale. Now in its fifth year, the flagship B2B event returns to Bishopsgate, London, from 23–25 June 2025, firmly established as a must-attend for anyone serious about selling or promoting African travel.
Experience Africa 2025 will bring together over 188 top-tier exhibitors and a curated audience of global travel buyers, offering an unparalleled platform to connect, collaborate and learn.
Experience Africa 2025 content programme
This year’s content format has been thoughtfully designed to be collaborative and immersive, creating an intimate setting that encourages meaningful dialogue and idea exchange. The programme is structured around three core themes:
- Sustainability: As a business enabler and market differentiator
- Artificial Intelligence: Tools and approaches helping businesses streamline and evolve
- Risk Management: Building resilience into operations, planning, and traveller protection
“These three themes – sustainability, AI, and risk management – were chosen very intentionally,” says Chris Mears, CEO of ATTA® Events. “They represent both the pressures and the possibilities facing our industry right now. Whether you’re a DMC, buyer, tour operator, or destination authority, you’re having to rethink how you make decisions, deliver value, and protect your business.’
Key speakers and sessions include:
- Michael Jackson – Opening keynote on sustainability as a transformational business strategy
- Fatmata Mida Hamid Carew, Sierra Leone National Tourist Board – Destination innovation and repositioning case study
- Pieter Geldenhuys, Itsi – AI in action: a hands-on masterclass for applying emerging tech
- Lloyd Figgins, The TRIP Group and Clint Meyers, Redpoint Travel Protection – Risk management frameworks for diverse travel markets
The programme is supported by curated networking opportunities and a series of brand-led pop-up sessions, including activations from Flywire, Headline Destination South African Tourism, and Uganda Airlines.
Experience Africa 2025 will also proudly host the second annual ATTA® for Action Awards, celebrating individuals and organisations driving positive change across the continent. The winners will be announced during a dedicated awards event on 23 June 2025, live at Experience Africa.
The award categories include:
? ATTA® Purpose and People Award – honours an organisation that
integrates heritage tourism with an inclusive, people-first company culture.
? ATTA® Earth Keeper’s Award – recognises a tourism provider actively
restoring natural habitats while promoting respectful wildlife experiences.
? ATTA® Eco Innovation Award – celebrates the use of sustainable
technologies that reduce environmental impact and support long-term
ecological goals.
? ATTA® Zero Waste Trailblazer Award – acknowledges businesses that
rethink food systems and hospitality operations to minimise waste and
improve resource use.
? ATTA® Community Upliftment Award – highlights a tourism initiative that
strengthens community wellbeing through deep local involvement and
shared opportunity.
? ATTA® Marine Impact Award – recognises an organisation committed to
protecting marine ecosystems while supporting livelihoods along Africa’s
coasts.
? ATTA® Collaborative Impact Award – is given to partners who align around
a common purpose and create lasting impact through shared action.
? ATTA® Traveller Education and Awareness Award – honours efforts that
help visitors become more thoughtful travellers by encouraging greater
awareness and responsibility.
? ATTA® Media Voice for Action Award, sponsored by Ethiopian Airlines –
celebrates a media voice that brings attention to ethical travel through
compelling and purposeful storytelling.
? ATTA® Emerging Changemaker Award – recognises an early-stage
initiative already showing strong potential for meaningful impact within
African tourism.
“Experience Africa is a catalyst for progress,” concludes Mears. “At a time when the
travel industry must be agile, innovative and deeply connected to its communities
and environment, this event provides the insights, relationships and tools to power
that evolution. For anyone working in African tourism today, there’s no better
place to be.”
