The Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) led by its President, Mrs. Alisa Osei Asamoah, and their Nigerian counterparts, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) and President, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye came together to promote inter-Africa travels, trade, tourism and investment through collaboration, partnership and innovation.
About 70 delegates from TOUGHA and close to 100 participants from NANTA were at the conference in South Africa.
The maiden NANTA – TOUGHA conference was hosted by the School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg from 4th to 7th May 2023, and endorsed by South Africa Tourism under the theme, “ITS TIME FOR AFRICA”, to promote Africa as a destination for Tourism and unite the continent.
The conference being birthed out of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agenda brought together industry players, practitioners, and professionals across the African continent to market their tourism products as well as brainstorm on how to ensure seamless travels across the continent without the need for borders in Africa that hinder travel businesses to flourish.
The training sessions assembled the best of faculty members from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa on tourism enterprise and related businesses to lecture on best practices with practical experiences and examples.
There were two-panel discussions and a workshop involving government and private sector participation from Ghana, South Africa, and Nigeria.
One of the major highlights of the conference was that all participants were presented with certificates from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
TOUGHA and NANTA participated in one of Africa’s biggest Pan-African Trade and Exhibition show, “Africa’s Travel Indaba” in Durban, South Africa under the theme, “Unlimited Africa” which speaks directly to the continent’s uncapped potential indicating that the African continent is open for the world to explore, connect and grow, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Tour Operators Union of Ghana (TOUGHA) led by its President, Mrs. Alisa Osei Asamoah joined more than 6,000 delegates, including 1,000 international buyers and 1,000 exhibitors showcasing 350 products, trade associations, destination marketing companies, leisure tourism services partners, and the media across the continent.
Some of the activities also include plenary sessions and panel discussions, B2B, speed marketing, Women in Tourism, Global Media Face-Off with Richard Quest, etc.
Members of TOUGHA with a common voice were also happy about the fostering of business networking and connections with Exhibitors and Buyers at this year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba.
They took the opportunity to take some time before and after the event to visit areas of interest in South Africa including unique tourism products, restaurants, cuisines, nightlife, great weather, hospitable people, rich culture, and history.
