The VA TourismPodcast

In today’s episode, the CEO of South African Tourism Sisa Ntshona outlines measures instituted to restart tourism in a responsible way and SAT’s short to medium-term plans to protect the tourism industry as the sector battles the ever-changing coronavirus pandemic. 

In today’s episode, the Portfolio Director, World Travel Market and IBTM Events Claude Blanc takes a deeper look at the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the meetings industry and what the sector has learned to help accelerate the recovery process. Claude has an impressive track record of more than 25 years in top management roles in the travel industry, with extensive experience in both the leisure and business events sectors.

Claude has an impressive track record of more than 25 years in top management roles in the travel industry, with extensive experience in both the leisure and business events sectors. Claude became Portfolio Director of IBTM Events in November 2020, a remit he manages alongside his role as Portfolio Director of World Travel Market (WTM). On his appointment to IBTM Events, Claude said: “I’m really looking forward to continuing to support the IBTM global community on the road to recovery and beyond.”

IBTM Events and World Travel Market are owned by the world’s leading exhibition organiser, Reed Exhibitions. The IBTM portfolio includes IBTM World, IBTM Africa, IBTM Americas, IBTM Asia Pacific, IBTM Virtual and IBTM Connect. Claude has been Portfolio Director of WTM since October 2018, a portfolio which includes WTM London, Travel Forward, the International Travel & Tourism Awards, WTM Africa, Arabian Travel Market and WTM Latin America.

Prior to joining Reed Exhibitions, Claude was Chief Executive Officer at Paris-based Travel & Co, a tour operating group he founded in 2007. Before that, he was Digital Travel Director at TUI Group, and he has held senior posts with a leading online travel agency in France; travel management company Rosenbluth International; and timeshare exchange company RCI.

Today’s episode looks at the crucial role of data collection as the tourism world aims to build back better. Sandra Carvao, Head of Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at the World Tourism Organization is my Guest.  She will help me unpack the topic and also dive deep into UNWTO's Tourism dashboard and recovery tracker.

My Guest Beuli Opperman a Namibian Commercial pilot turned cabin crew attendant tells the story of how her passion for serving people has seen her taking a permanent job as West Air's cabin crew head. 

Beuli Opperman - 21 Born 18/09/1999 in the little farming town of Gobabis in Namibia, Beuli grew up on a farm, not knowing much about aviation. Later in life after completing schooling in Gobabis she was drawn to a life in Aviation and began pilot training at Signa Aviation in Windhoek. After completing her private pilot's license, she started working at Westair Aviation as a cabin crew, to help subsidize the cost of her Commercial Pilot license.  While working as a cabin crew Beuli realized that this would be a more suited career choice for her as will enable her to still satisfy her love for aviation, but at the same time could have a more personal interaction with the passengers.

She says she will always keep her private pilot's license current, allowing her to fly whenever she wants. 

In today's episode my Guest George Ayisi, the Sales Manager at Ghana's Labadi Beach Hotel recounts his two decades working in the same hotel and highlights of his career where he had the opportunity to serve the visiting former US President George W Bush to Ghana. He believes Ghana can do more to grow its tourism

In this episode, the CEO of WestAir Aviation Henri van Schalkwyk gives an account of how the airline survived the disruptive coronavirus pandemic and their quest to support Namibia's tourism revival strategy as well the vision of WestAir to have a foothold on the southern African market. The airline currently has operations in South Africa, Angola, Senegal, Mozambique, and Mali with diversified aviation operations.

In today's episode, Marsha Paccou an experienced health and life coach looks at wellness tourism and the prospects for Africa. She believes that every person should become fascinated with the way they work, and through this properly understand the ways in which they can nurture, cherish, and accept who they are through self-care and self-love. Accredited by the Health Coach Institute, USA, she coaches using International Coach Federation (ICF) tools and exercises whilst delivering her own unique framework for transformation. She inspires women to blossom through self-care and self-love. She also provides the support, structure, and strategy to empower them to not only become more successful but to also learn to love themselves along the way

Today's conversation is with two leaders in Namibia's tourism private sector. Chairperson of the Federation of  Namibian tourism association (FENATA) Netumbo Nashandi and Joseph Kafunda Chair of the Emerging Tourism Enterprise Association of Namibia. They discuss the tourism restart in Namibia and the Government's support in the tourism revival initiative.

In this episode, the Founder of Red Rocks Initiatives Greg Bakunzi talks about the urgent need for diversification in the tourism sector in order to help sustain their business and also recounts measures taken by the Government of Rwanda to get tourism restarted. Greg is passionate, about conservation, community-based tourism, environmental conservation, and developing skills that will help uplift the living standards of the locals, through collaboration and partnerships.

In this episode, Founder of Spree Rwanda and winner of the 2020 Tourism Innovation Challenge at Africa Tourism Leadership Forum Alin Murekatete discusses her motivation for the project and why she thinks now is the time to use technology to make tourism sustainable for destinations.