The VA TourismPodcast

Africa‘ Travel and Tourism Summit Café:Unpacking Youth Inclusion as a Driver for Sustainable and Ethical Tourism in Africa

The Africa Tourism Summit café is a dedicated conversation from the recently held summit at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg where panellists and speakers have been sharing their experiences of the event. My guests are four of the panellists who discussed in detail the subject matter of youth inclusion as a Driver for Sustainable and Ethical Tourism in Africa. Meet Kim Whitaker-Co founder at Kwela Women, Francine Zana-Director of Exclusive Hospitality Concepts in Port Elizabeth, Elvis Silayo, founder of travel agency Lokaday in Tanzania and Luze Klooppers, the founder of Recycling Lab in Namibia

MKTE Talks:Reigniting the Magic of Travel at MKTE 2021with Amanda Margison

My guest today is Co-founder of On show solutions Amanda Margison. On-show solutions is the organizer of East Africa’s Flagship travel show the Magical Kenya Travel Expo. This year’s edition has gone virtual and with few days to the event, Amanda walks me through what participants and exhibitors should expect at this important gathering.
As co-owner of On Show Solutions, Amanda Margison brings a keen operational mind to the company.  Over 20 years of dedicated exhibition experience has put Amanda at the forefront of logistics in the business events field, working passionately with industry colleagues.
Amanda worked on a range of sporting, military, air force and navy-related events before finding her niche in tourism. She has successfully delivered world-class shows such as Indaba, Meetings Africa and Magical Kenya Travel Expo. With management skills to coordinate large-scale projects, suppliers and staff teams, Amanda’s organisational skills enable her to focus on the finer details of each project.

Organizers impressed with First Day at Africa’s Travel and Tourism Summit

On the first day of Africa’s Maiden Travel and Tourism Summit, the Chief Convention Bureau Officer of the South African National Convention Bureau Amanda Kotze-Nlapo gives her impression and reveals South Africa’s massive plans to get Africa's meetings sector ready for an accelerated restart.

The Unmissable Africa Travel and Tourism Summit 2021

Ahead of the maiden Africa Travel and Tourism Summit scheduled to be held next week in South Africa, Chief Convention Bureau Officer of the South African National Convention Bureau Mrs. Amanda Kotze-Nlapo discusses the need for Africa to look at the opportunity the pandemic has offered to work together in furtherance of the Intra Africa travels and trade. Amanda tells me Delegates will have the opportunity to create their own conference and choose topics and activities that most appeal to them on a personal and business level.
Mrs Kotze-Nhlapo joined South African Tourism following a successful tenure at the Cape Town and Western Cape Convention Bureau where she held the position of head of the Bureau for six years. Amanda has 20 years of experience in the industry. 
Register for the summit here 

Ghana's Kizomba Dance Couple opens up on VA Tourism Podcast

My conversation today is with Ghana’s Kizomba dance King and Queen, Ebow Anderson and Nana Kwatemaa. The effervescent dance couple in the last decade has thrilled and trained lovers of the Angolan kizomba genre. They make the point that dancing is more than just entertainment but portents for keeping a healthy lifestyle and adding to Ghana’s marquee credentials as a bustling cosmopolitan destination.

An exclusive with Namibia's Director of Tourism & Gaming Zebulun Chicalu

In this episode, the New Director of Tourism and Gaming at Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism Zebulun Chicalu discusses the country’s recovery strategy and their target of a diverse tourism source market. Namibia which until 2-weeks ago had been on a lockdown is optimistic domestic will return and become a key component to their revival strategy.
 
 

Sabine Lehmann unpacks SA's First Attractions Benchmark Survey Report.

Ahead of the Virtual African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AAVEA) Conference, Executive Director of the Association Sabine Lehmann takes a deep dive into South Africa’s first Attractions Benchmark survey report. She points to data as one key ingredient if Africa is to build back better.
Sabine Lehmann has first-hand insight into the challenges and opportunities facing the attractions industry – especially on the African continent. Having held leadership roles in some of South Africa’s most iconic tourist attractions Sabine understands from the inside out how difficult it is to run a profitable and sustainable attraction in a world that is constantly changing.
Sabine is committed to building African attractions and is the founder and Chair of the African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AAVEA)  and a government relations committee member of the IAPPA (The Global Association for the Attractions Industry). She holds an MBA from the University of Cape Town and an MPhil (Futures) from the  Stellenbosch University.

Roman Krabel: From Chef to Managing leading Hotel Chains

My conservation today is with the General Manager of Ghana’s Accra City Hotel Roman Krabel. Roman who has been spearheading operations & pre-openings for world-leading Hotels, along with private brands and properties ranking from 5 to 3 Stars and managing facilities with 450+ rooms in Europe, Asia, the US and Africa discusses the challenges and opportunities of the hospitality sector in West Africa.
Originally from Germany, Roman started his career in culinary arts; He was a Chef for many years. In 2000,  he made career switch to Sales & Marketing, HR and F&B Management and eventually, this led him to become a successful GM. His culinary art and F&B background gave him self-discipline and the mentality for attention to details. The foundation of his success in West Africa (Nigeria and Ghana) lies in his attention to detail, and as a highly motivated person, always works hard to ensure that all processes are efficient. In every hotel that I have worked, I not only bring new energy, fresh ideas and a different way of thinking, but also help fellow work colleagues to achieve their full potential.
Mr. Roman Krabel is also a recipient of over 25 Awards for Professional Achievements including, “Best General Manager” in Africa - World Luxury Hotel Awards 2017, “Most admired GM of the Year” - Africa Hotel Industry Leadership Awards 2018, “Best General Manager” in Africa – International Travel Awards 2019.