The VA TourismPodcast

Africa Showcase 2024: We've seen Increasing demand from the Spanish Market- Chris Anagnostellis

My Guest today is Chris Anagnostellis, a seasoned African tour operator and CEO of African Anthology. Chris tells me they’ve seen an increasing demand from the Spanish market inspite of the unavailability of direct air access between Spain and South Africa. He says the Africa Showcase platform is a more focused market gateway which has been rewarding for him and his business.

Africa Showcase 2024: Understanding the Spanish Outbound Tourism Market with Eduardo and Lucia

My conversation today is with two Spanish outbound tour operators Eduardo Garcia del Alamo and Lucia Diaz Jimenez. At the recent Africa showcase Southern Europe roadshow in Madrid, Spain the duo unpacks the opportunities and challenges with the Spanish outbound market. They believe the growing awareness of Africa in Spain as an alternative destination should urge stakeholders to work together to eliminate barriers hindering its growth.
 

How Kempinski Hotel Accra Gold Coast City is transforming guest experience with Lady In Red and West Africa’s first Gentleman In Red

In the inaugural episode of the VA Tourism Podcast for 2024, the Lady In Red team from Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City Accra explores the distinctive features that set their service apart from traditional concierge offerings. From delivering personalized guest experiences to going above and beyond, the Lady In Red epitomizes exceptional, memorable, and captivating service guaranteed to enchant guests. In a hearty conversation, guest host Samuel Obeng Appah  engages, Surabhi Mahajan and Judith Ada Agbara on 14 years of Lady In Red. Additionally, the podcast highlights David Quartey, the first Gentleman In Red in West Africa.

State of Africa’s Tourism Sector: What to lookout for in 2024

Today’s episode is our Final podcast for the year 2023 and episode 215. This special state of tourism review will bring you a roundup of how tourism fared and our projections of the sector in 2024.We listened to your feedback and have introduced this new format which will be a regular feature once every month to help you and in particular the travel trade to be abreast with the changes in the industry expected to shape the sector going forward in 2024.
To help me run commentary on these issues are four distinguished media personalities versed in tourism and its related sectors. I have Lebawit Lily Girma an award-winning Ethiopian American travel journalist and founder ofTourismLens.com, a platform dedicated to equitable, sustainable tourism and she is currently a full-time travel reporter at Bloomberg News.
Naledi K. Khabo, CEO of African Tourism Association. She is a global strategy leader with 25+ years experience across Operations, Marketing and technology. Naledi currently serves as chief executive at the Africa Tourism Association (ATA), a global trade association promoting travel and tourism to Africa and strengthening intra-Africa partnerships.
Kingsley D. Uranta is the Assistant General Manager-Operations at Channels Television, Lagos, Nigeria with the sole responsibility of driving strategy/innovation, partnership, corporate communications, and training. He has a robust career in communication spanning over 20 years in a variety of functional and managerial roles.
EMELIKE OBINNA is an award-winning journalist with over 12 years of experience. He majors in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality, which he reports with passion. He heads the Travel and Tourism Desk of BusinessDay, the foremost financial Publication in Nigeria.
 

Talking Tourism in Mauritius:Estelle St Lambert invites you to explore GrandBay’s Night Life

In today’s episode, the Manager of Enjoy, a restaurant and entertainment center in Grand Bay, Mauritius Estelle St Lambert urges the government of Mauritius to offer incentives, particularly in the creative arts sector to help develop budding talents and also create employment opportunities for the youth in the island. Estelle believes Mauritius has an enormous potential to become an entertainment haven.

Could Health Tourism and Wellness be the next frontier in Africa’s Tourism pursuit? Founders of Route Wellness take a deep dive

In today’s episode, founders of Route Wellness International (Private) Limited Dr. Udeni Arawgoda and Lisa Payet dive into the opportunity that the wellness and medical tourism sectors offer destinations. They discuss the growing medical tourism sector in Sri Lanka and how partnership with Africa can help develop the sector in the region.

Talking Tourism in Mauritius - General Manager of Veranda Grand Bay Giany Bundhooa takes turn on VA Tourism Podcast

In this episode, the General Manager of Veranda Grand Bay in Mauritius Giany Bundhooa discusses the return of business to pre-pandemic levels. He singles out training and capacity building as essential to building a robust hotel sub-sector in Mauritius.
Giany, a Mauritian with a Diploma in Hotel & Business Management from the Durban International Hotel School, boasts over 20 years of experience in Food & Beverage and Hotel Operations Management. Starting as a 'Sommelier' on prestigious 5* cruise ships like Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2, and Caronia from 2003 to 2006, he returned to Mauritius in September 2006 to serve as the 'Assistant Restaurant Manager' at Hilton Mauritius.
His journey continued with roles such as 'Restaurant & Bar Manager' at The Oberoi in May 2007 and 'Restaurant Manager' at Le Paradis Beachcomber in July 2009. In April 2010, Giany ventured to the Seychelles for the opening of Constance Ephelia Resort as the 'Assistant F&B Manager.' He then joined Amanyara, Aman Resort in Turks & Caicos in February 2012 in the capacity of 'Assistant F&B Manager.'
Returning to The Seychelles in April 2013, he took on the role of 'Assistant F&B Director at Constance Ephelia Resorts before being transferred to Constance Lemuria in Praslin in August 2015 as the 'F&B Director' until June 2019. Since July 2019, Giany has been back in Mauritius, serving as the 'Resident Manager' at Le Tamassa in Bel Ombre. In this position, he assists the General Manager in daily operations and spearheads innovative projects.
As of May 2023, Giany has taken on a new challenge, joining Rogers Hospitality as the Hotel Manager for the opening of Veranda Grand Baie.

Our vision is to be the friendliest Resort in Seychelles- Andre Borg

In this episode, the Area General Manager of Hilton Hotels in Seychelles Andre Borg doubles down on the narrative of Seychelles being a destination beyond the amazing beaches. He is optimistic of a buoyant tourism sector for the upcoming year.