The inaugural ISTO Africa Social
Tourism Conference
Overview
Both the African Union (AU) and the International Social Tourism Organisation (ISTO) are marking their 60th anniversaries in 2023, and in the year that the AU is celebrating six decades, South Africa is hosting the inaugural ISTO Africa Social Tourism Conference, focused on the democratisation of intra-Africa travel and tourism. This forms part of the AU’s Agenda 2063 master plan to realise the vision of The Africa We Want.
Leveraging this combined milestone, stakeholders intend to emerge from the conference with a cohesive social tourism agenda for Africa.
The value of domestic and regional tourism for destinations has never been more evident than in the current post-pandemic era, when local travel has been the first to recover and continues to sustain the sector towards recovery.
In the 2021 initial recovery phase, domestic tourism spending globally increased by 31.4%, and international visitor spending by 3.8%, after declining in 2020 by 47.4% and 69.7% respectively.
Similar performance was seen on the African continent. However, job losses were among the highest recorded, at 29.3%, compared with the global average of 18.6%. With recovery driven by local travel, tourism success is increasingly measured in terms of its contribution towards development, with sustainable and responsible tourism – anchored in inclusive participation – as the principal areas of focus.
To this end, the World Economic Forum has renamed its biennial Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report to the Travel & Tourism Development Index, highlighting the need for tourism development plans to integrate sustainability and resilience, as well as the sector’s role in social development, among other factors. This thinking is aligned to the Agenda 2063 development priorities for inclusive and sustainable development and aims to bolster the African Continental Free Trade Agreement initiatives.
Rethinking tourism and shaping its contribution from a development perspective present an opportunity to adopt a cohesive approach to social tourism policies and programmes, with substantial benefits to women and youth. Such an approach will stimulate tourism recovery.
Women and youth will benefit through the rehabilitation of social tourism infrastructure, upskilling of young people to take advantage of job opportunities in tourism, and unlocking entrepreneurship at small and micro-business level. All this can be done leveraging the benefits of digitalisation of the industry.
The conference, hosted as a hybrid event from 30 August to 1 September 2023, will include visits to heritage tourism sites, and is open to ISTO members and all stakeholders in the tourism and related industries.

3 days
Conference programme
Tuesday
29 AUG
All day
Arrival and registration
1pm-3.30pm
ISTO Africa meeting
4pm-5pm
Media roundtable
5pm-7pm
Welcome cocktails
Wednesday
30 AUG
8am
Arrival and registration
9am
Opening and welcome
Beulah Mosupye, Founder and CEO, Hauweng
9.15am
Dinokeng video
9.30am
Opening plenary:
Rethinking and reimagining tourism for Africa
Moderator: Beulah Mosupye
AUDA/NEPAD, Department of Tourism, ISTO, A Omotola and Prof Ciraj Rassool
10.15am
Keynote address:
Minister of Tourism
Official opening and closing remarks:
ISTO Africa
11.30am
Panel discussions: Social tourism schemes, youth development and solidarity
1.45pm
Panel discussions: Investing in social tourism
3.30pm-4.30pm
Plenary roundtable reflections
6.30pm
Welcome dinner
Thursday
31 AUG
8am
Arrival and registration
9am
Opening and welcome: ISTO Africa
9.20am
Red agenda for tourism sustainability roundtable
Kate Rivett-Carnac, Fedusa, Academica, Fairtrade, People and Parks, and ILO
10.15am
Panel discussions: Access and fair business
2pm
Legacy project site visits
5pm
Youth empowerment showcase
Friday
1 SEPT
9am
Opening and welcome
9.15am
Closing plenary and declaration: The Africa We Want
10am
Dinokeng social tourism for Africa declaration
Saturday – Sunday
2-3 SEPT
Leisure tours and departures
Conference fees
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
VIRTUAL
ATTENDEES
ISTO MEMBERS
NON-ISTO MEMBERS
Accommodation recommendation: Kwalata
REGISTRATION FORM
Our sponsors

