10 - 12 April 2024

Step Inside Inclusive Travel

#equalafrica

Travel Free. Travel with Pride.

EQUAL Africa, powered by The IGLTA Foundation, will bring together travel suppliers, buyers and media as well as lifestyle brands targeting the LGBTQ+ community. You’ll hear from influential people who can pass on some great lessons, enabling you to avoid the mistakes of brands who have ‘superficially’ tried to break into the LGBTQ+ market. Engaging in several educational sessions brings all of the debate about LGBTQ+ travel to the table.

The LGBTQ+ community are fighting for something that non-LGBTQ+ travellers have always taken for granted. Belonging. The ability for an individual to choose where in the world they feel like they really belong has always been the privilege of those who conform. Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is an all-too-familiar reality for those in the LGBTQ+ community. 

At EQUAL Africa, powered by The IGLTA Foundation, we bring together leaders from the travel & lifestyle sectors to light the way through education, engagement and connections. With brands, advisors and press making up our EQUAL community, this is where you can develop your business strategies, expand your LGBTQ+ understanding and connect with your like-minded peers. 

It’s a big beautiful world of longing and belonging and we’re proud to invite you to join us.

Who should attend?

1. Travel professionals focussing on the emerging LGBTQ+ traveller

2. Venues focussing on the emerging LGBTQ+ traveller

3. Companies that directly supply the travel LGBTQ+ industry in Africa

4. Entrepreneurs looking to conduct business or showcase their products/services to the LGBTQ+ traveller

The details

DATE: 12 April 2024

VENUE: Inspire Theatre, Cape Town International Convention Centre

TIME: 10:00 - 18:00


Travel freely. Travel with pride

Demonstrating RX’s commitment to enabling everyone, wherever and whoever they are, to thrive diversity, inclusivity and equality were the hallmarks of this year’s EQUAL Africa content sessions as leaders of the LGBTQ+ community converged at Africa Travel Week to discuss, among others, how to earn brand loyalty from this growing and diverse market.

EQUAL Africa, powered by The IGLTA Foundation, has become an integral component of Africa Travel Week, providing a specialised platform for travel suppliers and buyers targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Through our official partnership with the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA) we were able to welcome global experts to share their insights and strategies on attracting these travellers in an inclusive way.

A central theme highlighted at the show was that of pinkwashing, and how to avoid it. Pinkwashing (or rainbow-washing) occurs when a business publicly tries to show support for the LGBTQ+ community while privately doing very little to support and assure these travellers. With a focus on tourism recovery, EQUAL Africa discussions cautioned travel retailers and brands against insincerity while actively trying to tap into this market segment.

During sessions such as the panel discussion on How to earn Brand Loyalty from the LGBTQ+ traveller, experts discussed how to design a marketing strategy or travel experience that doesn’t pinkwash, highlighting the need for intention, sincerity and understanding towards a community that encompasses people from all over the world with diverse backgrounds and a vast spectrum of preferences and interests. ​​​​​​​

Host City

Powered by

Part of ATW

Register to attend WTM Africa 2024