Ilse van Schalkwyk

Posted on March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 by admin

Ilse van Schalkwyk is a development economist who resides and works in the Western Cape. She holds a Masters degree in Public Development Management. Ilse has worked in both private and public sector as a development economist with over 16 years of experience in economic research and planning, strategy development, market research as well as economic analysis for local and international clients.

She has been employed in the public sector for the past 9 years in senior management positions relating to economic planning and development for both local and provincial Government within the Western Cape and she currently holds the position of Chief Director for Economic Sector Support at the Western Cape Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The major programmes she is responsible for is sector trade and development as well as tourism within the Province. Her areas of responsibility include sector development, destination development and planning, export development and investment for a range of priority industries.

H.E. Wamkele Mene

Posted on March 29, 2021March 30, 2021 by admin

Wamkele Mene was elected by the 33^rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of States & Government of the African Union, to the position of Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.

Prior to being elected Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, he served as Chief Director: Africa Economic Relations, at the Department of Trade & Industry of South Africa. In this role, he was South Africa’s chief trade negotiator in the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTA negotiations. During his tenure as chief negotiator, South Africa ratified both the AfCFTA and Tripartite FTAs agreements, providing new export markets in fast growing and dynamic markets in East and West Africa.

Prior to assuming this position, Wamkele was Director: International Trade Law & Investment Law at the Department of Trade & Industry, a role in which he was principal legal counsel on international trade law and international investment law.

From 2010 until 2015, Wamkele represented South Africa at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. During his posting to the WTO, Wamkele was elected by over 130 governments to the position of Chairman of the Committee on International Trade in Financial Services, a committee comprising trade negotiators, financial regulators and financial policy makers from over 160 countries.

Prior to joining the government, Wamkele worked for the law firms Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in London and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP in Hong Kong.

Wamkele has written and lectured internationally on international trade law, international investment law and international business law. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Law) degree from Rhodes University in South Africa, a Master of Arts in International Studies & Diplomacy (with specialization in International Economics) from the School of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS), University of London and a LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Banking Law & Financial Regulation from the Law Department of the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE).

Hon. David Maynier

Posted on March 29, 2021April 7, 2021 by admin

A member of the Democratic Alliance, David has served for the past ten years in the National Assembly as Shadow Minister of Finance and Shadow Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

David holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from the University of Cape Town and a master’s degree in Public Administration and Management from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He will be working around the clock to grow the economy and create jobs, maintain stable public finances and promote clean government in the Western Cape.

About The Summit

Posted on March 29, 2021January 22, 2022 by admin

Invest, Rebuild and Restart the African Travel and Tourism sector
7 – 8 April 2021 Virtual Summit

The International Tourism and Investment Conferences (ITIC) is organising in partnership with WTM Africa, this virtual summit in the aftermath of the restraining effects of the worldwide vaccination campaigns against the COVID-19. The African continent stands out as one of the economies that will recover the most rapidly from the Covid-19 pandemic as according to Statista, as at the 8 March 2021, “the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa amounted to 4,003,008 which represented around 3.4 per cent of the infections around the world”.

The Summit is designed to be the first in a series of virtual summits starting on 7 April 2021 and will feature a Ministerial Roundtable in a one-hour session from 12h30 to 13h30 CAT. The session on 8 April 2021 will run for four-and-a-half hours, from 10h30 to 15h00 CAT, featuring topics covering re-setting business financing, travel and health in the post Covid-19 era, rebranding of the African continent as one destination and new project investment opportunities which are emerging in the field of sustainable tourism.

This summit will unite a broad spectrum of stakeholders of the African and global tourism industries in order to tackle the key challenges that are cropping up in global tourism with special focus on investment opportunities in the African continent. Our objective is to promote inclusive growth and sustainable economic development for the benefit of all the people of Africa.

Day 1 – Wednesday 7 April 2021

Investment Ministerial Panel Discussion
Time: 12:30 – 13:30 CAT

Day 2 – Thursday 8 April 2021

The Summit Day
Time: 10:30 – 14:45 CAT

The Opportunity

It provides an excellent opportunity to increase the visibility of your brand and to connect with investors and heads of multinationals in the travel and tourism and financial services industries, procurement teams and industry specialists from across the globe. The Summit is the vital meeting place for the travel & tourism industry and investors to expand their professional network and develop new concepts, partnerships and ideas that will transform the growth and commercial development of their business.

Who will attend?

With over 1500+ international decision-makers, tourism leaders and investors in attendance, the Summit will propel your brand into top of the mind for those who count especially when procuring the services and products which you offer. Our audience represents billions of USDs in investment and expenditures, making this event a great opportunity to establish and nurture relationships and business opportunities that you can only achieve by being an active partner of this exclusive and unique ITIC event in partnership with WTM. ITIC will give visibility to leading industry entities and emerging destinations in their policy orientation by pairing specific tourism strategies with investment solutions, thus acting as a catalyst and an engine for inclusive growth and sustainable economic development.

View our Past Conferences

April 2017 – Enhancing Mauritius – China Relations – https://itic.uk/symposium-on-enhancing-mauritius-china-relations/
June 2017 China Tourist Night – CNTA Mauritius – www.itic.uk/china-tourist-night
ITIC London November 2018 www.itic.uk/videos
31 May 2019 – Investing in Tourism Sustainability Conference, Sunny Beach Bulgaria – www.investingintourism.com / BBC Clip – http://www.bbc.com/storyworks/bulgaria-sustainable-tourism-conference/bulgaria-sustainable-tourism-post-event
ITIC London – 01 & 02 November 2019 – www.itic.uk & https://itic.uk/itic-2019-video-gallery/

Our Virtual Events 2020

Speakers

Posted on March 28, 2021January 22, 2022 by admin

ITIC Speaker — Hon. Edmund Bartlett, CD, MP
Minister of Tourism
Jamaica more…

Advisory Board Members 2021- 2023

Posted on March 28, 2021July 19, 2023 by admin

ITIC 2021Advisory Board — Prof. Dimitrios Buhalis
Director of the eTourism Lab
Deputy Director of the International Centre for Tourism And Hospitality Research (UK) more…

Secretary to the Board

Paul Hoskins
Managing Director
Fulcrum Travel Marketing+PR more…

Past Advisory Board Members

Posted on March 28, 2021March 28, 2021 by admin

Advisory Board 2021 – 2023

Chairman Dr. Taleb Rifai Former Secretary General UNWTO more... Meet our 2021 - 2023 Advisory Board Members Hon. Najib Balala, ...

Advisory Board Members 2018

Name Role Position Dr. Taleb Rifai Chairman Former Secretary General United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Hon. Najib Balala, EGH ...

Advisory Board Members 2019

Chairman Dr. Taleb Rifai Former Secretary General United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) more... Vice-Chairman Hon. Najib Balala, EGH Cabinet ...

Programme

Posted on March 28, 2021April 8, 2021 by admin

Invest, Rebuild and Restart the African Travel and Tourism sector

Day 1Ministerial Panel
07 April 2021, Wednesday
Day 2Full Day Summit
08 April 2021, Thursday

Day 1 – 07 April 2021, Wednesday

12:30 – 13:30 CAT Connecting time: 12:15 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones

12:30 – 13:30 Eswatini / 10:30 – 11:30 Sierra Leone / 13:30 – 14:30 Kenya / 11:30 – 12:30 UK
13:30 – 14:30 Greece / 12:30 – 13:30 Bruxelles / 13:30 – 14:30 Tanzania

Ministerial Panel – Investing in Sustainable Travel and Tourism projects in Africa and restarting the sector in the post Covid-19 era

Moderator: Rajan Datar, Presenter and Broadcaster, BBC

Introduction by Dr. Taleb Rifai, Charmain ITIC and former Secretary-General UNWTO

Panelists:

Hon. Moses M. Vilakati, Minister of Tourism of Eswatini
Hon. Memunatu Pratt, Minister of Tourism, Sierra Leone
Hon. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, Kenya
Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger, UK MP and Chair Commonwealth Parliamentary UK
Hon. Sofia Zacharaki, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Greece
Hon. Elena Kountoura, Member of European Parliament
Hon. Mary Masanja, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania

Day 2 – 08 April 2021, Thursday

10:30 – 10:45 CAT Connecting time: 10:15 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones
09:30 – 09:45 UK / 11:30 – 11:45 Jordan / 10:30 – 10:45 South Africa

Morning Conversations:

Rajan Datar, Presenter and Broadcaster, BBC
Dr. Taleb Rifai Chairman of ITIC & Former Secretary-General UNWTO
Carol Weaving, Managing Director, Reed Exhibitions South Africa.
Ibrahim Ayoub Group CEO & MD ITIC & Invest Tourism Ltd

10:45 – 11:15 CAT Connecting time: 10:30 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones
10:45 – 11:15 South Africa / 12:45 – 13:15 Mauritius

Economic Outlook – The economic landscape to optimise investment opportunities in the tourism sector in Africa

Rashid Toefy, Deputy Director General, Department of Economic Development & Tourism, Western Cape Government – in conversation with:

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary General, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat and Chief Director, Africa Economic Relations, The Department of Trade & Industry, South Africa
KC Li Kwong Wing, Economist and Board Member Afrexim Bank Industry, South Africa

11:15 – 11:45 CAT Connecting time: 11:00 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones
09:15 – 10:45 Cote D’Ivoire / 11:15 – 11:45 Geneva / 10:15 – 10:45 UK / 05:15 – 05:45 New York

An enriching dialogue – How vaccination process will contribute to restore trust and a sense of security to restart the travel and tourism sector

Moderator: Rajan Datar, Presenter & Broadcaster, BBC

Speakers:

Hon. Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism Cote D’Ivoire
Prof. David Heymann, Epidemiologist and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology LSHTM
Tom Jones, Senior Partner, Finn Partners

11:45 – 12:30 CAT Connecting time: 11:30 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones
10:45 – 11:30 UK / 13:45 – 14:30 Mauritius / 11:45 – 12:30 South Africa

Panel Discussion: The changing landscape of capital raising, investment criteria and risk management to attract the ‘right’ investor for your project

Moderator: Partner PWC

Speakers:

Hon. Ian Liddell-Grainger, UK MP and Chair Commonwealth Parliamentary UK
Mobin Rafiq, Chairman Falcon House Properties, UK and Founder and CEO of Commonwealth Entrepreneurs Club
Ilse van Schalkwyk, Chief Director for Economic Sector Support, Western Cape, Provincial Department of Economic Development and Tourism, Western Cape Government
Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, City of Cape Town

12:30 – 13:15 CAT Connecting time: 12:15 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones

11:30 – 12:15 UK / 05:30 – 06:15 Jamaica / 12:30 – 13:15 Zambia /
12:30 – 13:15 South Africa / 05:30 – 06:15 Mexico / 13:30 -14:15 Jordan

Panel Discussion – Rebuilding Africa’s travel and tourism sector while enhancing its resilience

Moderator: Prof. Lee Miles, Professor of Crisis and Disaster Management, University of Bournemouth, UK

Speakers:

Hon. Edmund Bartlett, Minister of Tourism, Jamaica
Hon. Minister David Maynier, Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Western Cape Government, South Africa
Henry Katonga Director,Director of Human Resource Ministry of Tourism Zambia
Hon. Francisco de la Torre, Mayor – City of Malaga
Gloria Guevara, President & CEO WTTC
Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC & former Secretary-General, UNWTO

13:15 – 14:00 CAT Connecting time: 13:00 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones

12:15 – 13:00 UK / 14:15 – 15:00 Kenya / 13:15 – 14:00 South Africa /
19:15 – 20:00 China / 15:15 – 16:00 Mauritius

Panel Discussion – The critical need of effectively branding and marketing Africa as a single destination

Moderator: Professor Dimitrios Buhalis, Director eTourism Lab & Deputy Director International Centre for Tourism and Hospitality Research, Bournemouth University Business School

Speakers:

Hon. Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife
Hon. Clare Akamanzi, CEO Rwanda Development Board
Cuthbert Ncube, Chairman African Tourism Board
Marcus Lee, Chairman of SME Business Owners Association in China
Arvind Bundhun, Director Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority

14:00 – 14:30 CAT Connecting time: 13:45 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones

12:00 – 12:30 Cote D’Ivoire / 13:00 – 13:30 Dublin & UK /
16:00 – 16:30 Mauritius / 12:00 – 12:30 Guinee Conakry

Investment opportunities – Presentation of Destinations and Tourism Projects in quest of investment

Introduction by Paul Hoskins, Director ITIC Ltd and Invest Tourism Ltd

Projects to be presented:

Dr. Jean Yves Diamana, Tourism Project in Cote D’Ivoire
Guillaume Pellerin, CEO Zoobox – Eco-lodges project in Africa
Frederic Robert CEO Saint Felix – Mauritius
Sam Doree, Hotel project in Guinee Conakry

14:30 – 14:45 CAT Connecting time: 14:15 – 15 minutes before session starts
Other Time Zones

13:30 – 13:45 UK / 15:30 – 15:45 Jordan / 14:30 – 14:45 South Africa / 16:30 – 16:45 Dubai

Closing

Speakers:

Rajan Datar, Presenter & Broadcaster, BBC
Dr. Taleb Rifai, Chairman ITIC & former Secretary-General UNWTO
Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries Portfolio for Reed Exhibitions South Africa
Ibrahim Ayoub, Group CEO ITIC

Register for ITIC – WTM Africa Virtual Summit 7 – 8 April 2021

Posted on March 28, 2021March 28, 2021 by admin

ITIC and WTM AFRICA announce co-operation and launch of the Africa Virtual Tourism Investment Summit Series

Posted on March 9, 2021January 22, 2022 by admin

ITIC Ltd – International Tourism and Investment Summit – has today announced a strategic alliance with WTM Africa (World Travel Market Africa) owned by Reed Exhibitions, leveraging each companies’ strengths and commitment to propel growth in travel and tourism through innovation in products, destination marketing and investment in sustainable development and infrastructure.

ITIC and WTM Africa will host the virtual Africa Tourism Investment Summit, which forms part of Africa Travel Week from the 7 – 9 April, and a further virtual event on 24 June 2021 to assist African countries, as well as worldwide delegates and clients, in their ambition to achieve their objectives and future growth potential.

The overall theme for the Conference series will be Africa: Post Covid-19 Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Tourism, covering the major aspects of the sector with an approach of ‘THINK TOURISM 360°’.

The Conference is designed to be the first in a series of virtual summits starting on 7 April and will feature a Ministerial Roundtable with senior government speakers representing African nations in a one-hour session from 12h30 to 13h30 CAT. The session on 8 April will run for two-and-a-half hours, from 10h30 to 13h00 CAT, featuring three topics covering re-setting business financing, travel and health in the post Covid-19 era and new project investment opportunities.

Each session in April will be a teaser and introduction for the Second Africa Virtual Tourism Investment Summit to be held on the 24 June 2021.

As part of Africa Travel Week Connect in the City, which will be an in-person event from 1 to 3 September in Cape Town, Africa Tourism Investment Summit and ITIC will host a deal room. On 2 September, project owners, investors and financiers will have the opportunity to meet in person with selected participants to showcase their development projects and funding requirements to prospective funders.

ITIC is a leader in providing B2B travel investment conferences and has developed as a specialised global tourisminvestment platform that brings together investors, financial and legal services, technology experts, government tourism ministers, tourism and travel industry leaders and professionals, policy makers and public and private project owners and developers to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

The company’s objective through its conferences is to unlock a diversity of investment and business opportunities in tourism and travel destinations around the world that can be aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda – Sustainable Development Goals.

Chairman of ITIC and former Secretary-General of UNWTO, Dr Taleb Rifai said: “Such an alliance between the WTM Africa and ITIC with their complementary services will inevitably present significant opportunities for the tourism and travel industry in the continent.”

This series of virtual and live conferences are designed to stand out as a sought-after platform to stimulate a new thought process focusing and discussing key global tourism challenges, business and investment opportunities in the sector with a special focus on Africa and its island destinations.

The conferences will also help drive international awareness and investments in Africa and surrounding Island destinations as well as act as a catalyst for growth. These will attract private equity firms, institutional investors, fund managers and influencers, who have the power to channel capital and to raise funds by using key regional Stock Exchanges to raise and structure funds to invest in live and bankable tourism projects.

Our objective is to make tourism a driver to boost and develop the other industries with the Eco-System in a sustainable manner – SME within different sectors to support the tourism industry – such agriculture, manufacturing, energy, technology, textile and many of sectors of the economy to create employment, wealth within the country and for the benefit of the people.

Mr. Gerald Lawless, a Board Member of ITIC, WTTC Ambassador and former President and CEO of the Jumeirah group commented: “ITIC has become the catalyst and the platform for actually joining investors and the tourism industry together and by ensuring we understand what travel and tourism can do for small and large communities.”

Mr. Ibrahim Ayoub, Group CEO of ITIC and Organiser of the Summit with WTM Africa, said: “The International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC) working in partnership with WTM Africa provides an unique platform uniting a broad spectrum of stakeholders of the African and global tourism industries: tourism ministers, policy makers, tourism experts, tourism project owners, funding agencies, high-net-worth investors, bankers, private equity firms, fund managers, venture capitalists, family offices and law firms in order to tackle key global tourism challenges and investment opportunities in African and Island economies. We aim to bridge investments and innovation in tourism projects with a view to promoting inclusive growth and sustainable economic development for the benefit of the people.”

“ATIS is focused on stimulating the continent’s economic growth through one of our most valuable assets,” says Megan Oberholzer, Portfolio Director: Travel, Tourism & Creative Industries Portfolio for Reed Exhibitions South Africa.

“With investment being an important lifeblood for Africa’s Tourism sector, providing this extraordinary range of opportunities for collaboration not only in conjunction with Africa Travel Week, but throughout the year, will shine a spotlight on the major investment opportunities available.”

A post conference Concept Paper as a guideline to tourism investment will be made available to delegates and key tourism stakeholders.

For more information, please contact the Organiser of ITIC Mr. Ibrahim Ayoub at [email protected]

ABOUT THE ORGANISERS

ITIC UK

The London UK based ITIC Ltd – International Tourism and Investment Conference – facilitates challenging dialogue between tourism industry leaders and stakeholders on the sustainable development of tourism and travel in collaboration with governments, investors and project owners to create joint ventures that invest in developing innovative tourism and travel facilities, infrastructure and services that benefit all stakeholders, especially the host countries and their peoples.

Our team does extensive research and we provide valuable content, insights and market intelligence on tourism investment opportunities for the regions in which we operate. Complementing our conferences and investment services, we produce high quality corporate documents and publications, and promotions for our clients that add value and enhance the profile of their brands.

To find out more about ITIC and its International Tourism and Investment Conference programme in Africa, Bulgaria, Dubai, London UK, and elsewhere please see: www.itic.uk/videos

WTM AFRICA

World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises leading travel events, online portals and virtual platforms across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:

WTM Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. More than 6,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors.

Next Virtual Event: Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 May 2021

Next Event: Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 April 2021 – Virtual http://africa.wtm.com/

IBTM Africa is the leading conference for the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry in Africa and aims to inspire the business events world to deliver exceptional experiences for their customers. Targeting inbound business, IBTM Africa is the platform for African and Indian Ocean suppliers and international buyers to meet, network and transact business in a highly targeted and interactive environment.
Next Event: Wednesday 7 April to Friday 9 April, 2021 – Virtual

Arabian Travel Market (ATM)now on its 28^th year, continues to be the focal point for the Middle East’s resilient and ever-changing travel and tourism landscape and prides itself on being the hub of all travel and tourism ideas, providing a platform to discuss insights on the ever-changing industry, share innovations and unlock endless business opportunities. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week. #IdeasArriveHere

Next in-person event: Sunday 16 to Wednesday 19 May 2021, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai

Next Virtual Event: Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 May 2021

The International Tourism & Investment Conference (ITIC – www.itic.uk)

Month: March 2021

Ilse van Schalkwyk

H.E. Wamkele Mene

Hon. David Maynier