NAMIBIA will host the fifth Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge at Swakopmund from 30 May to 2 June.
Last year, Namibia hosted the fourth edition of the summit in Windhoek in collaboration with Africa Tourism Partners South Africa and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
According to the environment ministry, the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge is the only pan-African youth and start-up summit on the continent.
“It is an exclusive platform provided to innovative African youth in the travel and tourism industry looking for funding, partnership and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace to find the required support for their programmes,” the ministry said.
The summit is open to all interested youths, start-ups and professionals in the tourism, travel, hospitality, aviation and technology sectors and other related industries.
Entrance to the event’s exhibition is free.
According to the summit’s website, the focus areas will include youth entrepreneurship, students’ immersion in innovation, small enterprise development, personal transformation and self-actualisation.
Delegates will connect with African and global tourism leaders, entrepreneurial innovators and partner organisations from across Africa and the rest of the world.
The summit will include a desktop exhibition focused on highlighting youth empowerment initiatives, SME trade offerings including tour operators, tourism accommodation facilities, transport service providers, educational institutions, travel and marketing technology start-ups and incubators, employment agencies, professional development and more.
The goal is to provide a transformative platform for Africa’s youth, start-ups, entrepreneurs, students and small enterprises for income generation and career development.
It is established to nurture African youth, start-ups, small enterprises and accelerator initiatives to pursue opportunities across the global tourism ecosystem to become industry change-makers and future industry leaders, the website stated.
About 250 people will attend the summit in-person, while over 1 600 will attend virtually, including ministers, tourism officials, policymakers, start-ups, students, entrepreneurs and civil servants from Africa and the rest of world.
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