The sixth edition of the ACCRA WEIZO West African Travel Expo, organized by the Akwaaba Travel Market in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority, was successfully held in Accra.
The three-day expo, held under the theme “Tourism development through digitalization,” aimed to provide a platform for Africans to market the continent's tourism offerings to each other.
The expo commenced with a tour of Akosombo in the Eastern Region, allowing participants to engage in leisure activities such as hiking, cruising, and networking. The event culminated in a conference and the presentation of the Balafon Award of Excellence and Exhibitions.
During the conference's opening ceremony, Mr Ikechi Uco, Founder of the African Travel Fair, highlighted the three key components of ACCRA WEIZO: an experiential segment for non-Ghanaians, knowledge sharing through the conference, and networking opportunities.
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He emphasized the importance of collaboration in West Africa, with countries like Kenya and South Africa already joining the initiative.
Mr Uco stressed the need for investment in Africa's tourism sector, as African tourists are the highest-spending tourists. He encouraged industry players to focus on developing the domestic West African market, which has the potential to benefit over 400 million people, rather than solely directing their efforts towards Europe.
Mr Vitus Otto Langmagne, Director of Human Resources at the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, emphasized the significance of digitalization in tourism development in the era of globalization.
He noted that digitalization in Ghana was already underway and that the collaboration with ACCRA WEIZO would further enhance stakeholder tourism in the sub-region. Mr Langmagne urged travel professionals in the sub-region to lead the process of facilitating travel within West Africa.
Mr Ekow Sampson, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in Charge of Operations at the Ghana Tourism Authority, highlighted the importance of participating in local and international tourism fairs and exhibitions to raise awareness of Ghana's tourism products.
He emphasized Nigeria‘s role as a major source market for Ghana's tourism and highlighted the expo as a platform for stakeholders in the West African tourism industry to cooperate and interact.
The event aimed to create a seamless travel environment in West Africa by bringing together travel professionals, consumers, suppliers, intermediaries, media personnel, and academia from the sub-region.
Mr Sampson emphasized the tight integration between tourism and technological advancement, urging tourism enterprises to embrace digitalization and innovation to drive sustainable and inclusive growth in the African tourism sector.
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