Our 3rd annual DATA Africa event was a wild success, bringing together Destinations from East, Southern and West Africa in the beautiful Seychelles Islands for three days of data sharing, trend watching and adventures in paradise.
This year DATA Africa was hosted by Seychelles Tourist Board on the island of Mahe, based at the luxurious Eden Island resort. DATA (Destination Academy with TripAdvisor) is an informal get together of Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) from across the region to discuss their experiences, challenges and opportunities in todays ever changing tourism landscape. TripAdvisor also provided invaluable insights into travel research, booking and buying trends for Africa.
There was much to discuss this year, from the changing image of Africa in popular culture created by the Black Panther phenomenon to the rise of virtual and augmented reality, and new challenges created by travel sharing and global concerns over overtourism. A special session on conservation and eco-tourism featured a case study of the Seychelles creation of one of the planets largest protected Marine Areas.
But there were also plenty of time to explore the Seychelles- and discussions of new forms of tourism let the attending destination managers experience these products first hand as they travelled around the island.
Sunset cruises, Creole cooking classes, run tasting and beachside dinners were on the agenda, but it wasn’t all relaxation. Adventure tourism sessions included paragliding high over the beautiful Indian Ocean, jet skiing and ziplining through the jungle.
There are more regional DATA sessions coming this year around the globe- bringing together the world’s expert Tourism Managers to explore the future together.
