Africa Travel Week’s ‘Reigniting Africa’ award submissions are in, and our judges are going blown away by some of the incredible campaigns that have run during the COVID-19 pandemic to boost travel to – and confidence in – the African continent.
These creative, innovative campaigns bring Africa and the fantastic experiences on the continent to life – and have kept us connected, engaged and inspired. So, it’s time to recognise their efforts.
See who's involved in choosing our winners, and find out more about them.
In search of a safe, sustainable and environmentally-friendly holiday during National Alert Level 3, local travellers sought the next escape after being cooped up for so long. Cape Nature launched the #NatureStaycation campaign that presented their reserves as open, safe destinations for those needing to get away.
Bringing life in the bush into the homes of locked down travellers, andBeyond connected the world with magnificent wildlife. The team launched the next-best thing to experiencing a safari in person and brought game drives directly into the living rooms of aspiring guests. Twice daily, the rangers and guides were live-streamed on safari while viewers could sit back and enjoy the wildlife encounters the team was experiencing on the ground.
Marine Dynamics sought to find a way to keep up their conservation fundraising efforts after regular funds were depleted due to the lack of travellers. Via social media, the business promoted its ongoing work and began to raise funds once again. Local schools and the domestic market began to visit after the initial lockdown, and Marine Dynamics created a Travel Ready video to encourage visitors to enjoy this outdoor adventure.
Director of Shark Warrior, Jon Monsoon, took the opportunity to create a unique plan. A campaign was designed in collaboration with the Airbnb virtual experiences called ‘The Art of Penguin Conservation’. Dressed as a penguin with a side-kick puppet called Sushi, Jon provided helpful information about Cape Town and its penguins through regular online videos. The campaign offered engaging online activities and art classes suitable for all ages at home during the lockdown.
Ensuring their host of industry partners remain confident and enthusiastic about Africa as a destination and increase knowledge to sell in the future, The Africa Hub was born – an authoritative, comprehensive first-port-of-call resource centre for continent-wide destination information. The Africa Hub was promoted via direct marketing, press releases, and social media. The platform aims to continuously keep the continent top of mind and inspire industry partners to sell confidently.
Uthando set up a campaign called ‘Uthando means LOVE’ to help the many communities left in dire need when Lockdown Level 4 hit. Within days of the announcement, a team of two hit the road and worked as a mobile donation unit. By requesting donations through media releases, various magazine articles, and Uthando’s loyal donor base, this campaign managed to help many community development projects. It contributed to extremely impoverished and vulnerable communities.
Keep an eye out in the coming months for the latest WTM Africa programme and suppliers.