The VA TourismPodcast

My episode today is a tour of Radisson Blue Mosi OA Tunya Livingstone Resort, situated on the banks of one of Africa's longest rivers the Zambezi. The Hotel’s General Manager Shaun Wheeler touts the sustainability footprint of the hotel and believes the property will boost the tourism industry in  Zambia.

She is passionate about mentorship and is actively preparing the next generation of sales leaders in the hospitality industry. She currently has 10 mentees working in the hospitality industry 7 ladies and 3 gentlemen .2 of the ladies recently took up sales leadership positions with their current employers

In today’s episode, the CEO of Malawi’s Hospitality conglomerate Sunbird Tourism Samson Mwale opens up on the new chapter of the hotel Group and its commitments in the areas of women empowerment and clean energy.

Sunbird Hotels and Resorts is Malawi’s leading hotel chain with nine properties including four city hotels in all three regions of Malawi, four popular beach resorts along Lake Malawi and an iconic mountain resort, in the former capital city of Zomba

My conversation today is with the Sales & Marketing Manager of Blue Zebra Lodge, Jen Dunlop-Jones. Hosting international buyers and media at the boutique and unique island lodge as part of the post-Malawi International Tourism Expo activities, Jen outlines what makes the island a unique experience and its draw as a birding haven.

Blue Zebra Island Lodge is nestled on Nankoma Island, part of the Marelli Archipelago: an unspoiled paradise under the protection of Lake Malawi National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Today’s special episode was recorded from the capital city of Cabo Verde, Praia host of the Kriol Jazz Festival. Making a glorious return after a 3-year break, the artists were full of praise for the organizers and the municipality of Praia for the Morabeza hospitality accorded during the festival. Dr. Pratt, a Barcelona-based music group on this podcast expressed their adoration for the African vibes and look forward to collaboration with their African counterparts.

Performing for the first time at the Kriol jazz festival, Cabo Verdean songstress Lucibela was grateful for the opportunity offered to her to showcase her craft and hope to take it further in Africa. The Major of the municipality of Praia Francisco Carvalho is determined to consolidate the gains made with events such as the Kriol jazz festival and is committed to making tourism a priority sector for the capital.

In today’s episode, the Deputy CEO in charge of finance and administration at the Ghana Tourism Authority Ben Anane Nsiah on the sideline of this year’s ITB Berlin reveals that Ghana’s e-visa program will be rolled out at the end of the year while the Authority is also looking to consolidate its share of the market in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.

My conversation today is about how Africa can tap into the growing Halal tourism market. Fayrouz Holiday October a Halal Tourism expert dives deep into the $160 billion industry and how it is reshaping the sector globally.

In today’s episode, the Acting President of Ethiopian Aviation University Mr. Kassie Yimam discusses the upgrade of the then-Ethiopian Aviation Academy into a University and what that means for the growth of the airline and the opportunities it offers the continent.

The Ethiopian Aviation University, the largest and most modern specialized institution in Africa, is recognized as a ICAO regional Training Center of Excellence. Kassie believes this new step will help develop highly skilled aviation professionals and leaders that meet the growing human resource needs of a competitive aviation industry.

In today’s episode, the CEO of Aptamind Partners Aradhana Khowala dives deep into a series of reports released by her outfit underscoring the need to make women empowerment a business imperative to sustain the growth and promotion of women in the tourism industry.

Aradhana Khowala is one of the most influential leaders in the luxury hospitality, travel and tourism sector. Her career has spanned 23+ years, five continents, and more than 75 countries. Today, she is the CEO of Aptamind Partners, a strategic consultancy, which combines hard data and decades of experience to advise governments, emerging destinations, public and private organisations on futureproofing their business. Previously she was the Managing Director of Tourism at NEOM - the US$ 500 Billion land of the future purpose-built for a sustainable and a new way of living in Saudi Arabia.

An active board member, she has an impressive portfolio of non-executive board roles, currently serving as Chair of the Group Advisory Board of Red Sea Global in Saudi Arabia, the developer behind the Red Sea Project as well as AMAALA - the world’s first integrated wellness destination. Aradhana also serves as a Board Member of Elaf Group, the leisure arm of a sustainable listed holding company – SEDCO where she also chairs the compensation and remuneration committee. In the past she has worked for Jones Lang LaSalle, covering UK, Benelux and Scandinavian markets, a Strategy Consulting practice in Europe and Asia as well as in Hospitality Operations in India.

My conversation today is with Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage Peninah Malonza. She tells me the vision of the Ruto-led government is to make tourism the number foreign exchange earner for the East African giant as well as diversify its tourism products to meet the needs of the evolving traveler.