The Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit is a continental platform for youth in tourism, travel, hospitality, aviation, academia, and all related industries to connect engage, learn and grow.
The 5th and 2023 Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit & Challenge will be hosted by the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Namibia. The key focus areas will include but not limited to youth entrepreneurship, and students’ immersion in innovation, small enterprise development, personal transformation, and self-actualization.
Delegates will connect with African and global tourism leaders, entrepreneurial innovators, and partner organizations from across Africa and rest of the world.
Held annually in collaboration with the UNWTO and BDO, this year’s Summit will include desktop exhibition focused on highlighting youth empowerment initiatives, SMEs 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 African Youth, start-up, entrepreneurs , students and small enterprises for income generation and career development.
The Summit is established to nurture African youth, start-ups, small enterprises and accelerator initiative to pursue opportunities across the global tourism ecosystem to become industry change-makers and future industry leaders. Other specific objectives are to:
Approximately 250 in-person and over 1600 virtual attendees including Ministers, tourism officials, policymakers, SMMES, start-ups, students, entrepreneurs and government officials from Africa and the rest of world. Among these are young women-owned and run tourism businesses, venture capitalists, tourism innovators, techprenuers, entrepreneurs, university students, university lecturers, start-ups, representatives of youth agencies, officials of youth public institutions, education centres, investors and incubators/accelerators around compelling tourism issues. Others are executives and representatives and staff of youth development, entrepreneurship, tourism career guidance and development organisations.
Key stakeholders, partners, supporters and participants include corporations, international development organisations, financial institutions, government ministries responsible for youth, sports and recreation, education centres, universities, civil society organisations, investors and incubators/accelerators. Others are leisure tourism, business tourism and MICE organisations interested in succession planning and youth development across Africa.
