More than 20 tourism ministers from various African countries attended INVESTOUR, the Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa, now a well-established event celebrating its tenth edition. Organized jointly by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Casa África and FITUR, INVESTOUR promotes sustainable development in Africa and facilitates meetings on investment and business opportunities in the continent.
The tenth edition of INVESTOUR consisted of two round tables and a session of business-to-business meetings. This strategic platform is held every year within the framework of the FITUR tourism fair in Madrid, and puts African entities with tourism projects in direct contact with potential international partners.
The sessions covered topics such as safety and security challenges and their impact on the development of the tourism sector, as well as the issues of crime, health hazards, natural disasters, violence and political instability, which affect the image of a destination. Participants also discussed the promotion of tourism through innovation and digital transformation and diversification through niche tourism products.
As a new feature in this year’s edition, the UNWTO launched the Tourism Startup Competition for Africa devoted to identifying emerging companies that will lead the transformation of the tourism sector in the region. The objective of this initiative is to challenge young African entrepreneurs to design new innovative companies that contribute positively to the facilitation of travel and tourism in their respective countries or in the region in general. The five winners gave presentations to pitch their ideas.
