More than 950 meeting requests between tourism buyers and exhibitors were recorded within the first few days of a new month-long virtual tourism trade show opening.
The four-week Around Africa | The Impact Imbizo virtual trade activation – which officially opened for meetings on Monday, 24 August 2026 – has been welcomed by buyers and exhibitors for its flexible Global Pop-Up meeting format, with participants already describing the return on investment as “exponential”.
The virtual platform aligns African and Indian Ocean tourism businesses with global buyers through flexible, one-on-one meetings spread across four Global Pop-Up weeks.
By Thursday, 27 August, 953 meeting requests had been sent, 310 meetings accepted and 106 one-on-one meetings completed. The platform had also recorded 6,247 profile views, 1,758 bookmarks and 1,679 message exchanges, according to Around Africa co-founder Rudi Wagenaar.
A further 46 meetings have taken place in the platform’s virtual lounges, with 63 participants making use of the “gab a seat” lounge meeting format.
Expressing gratitude that he and Thabang Rapotu’s vision was being realised, Wagenaar said: “Around Africa was never created to replace the incredible tourism trade shows, workshops and events that already exist.”
“The dream was simply to create more seats at the table. More opportunities for buyers and exhibitors to find each other. And at a price point that makes participation possible for more of us, with exhibitor participation starting from R4,700 for the full duration of the showcase.”
Rapotu agreed, describing Around Africa as a “love letter” to the industry.
“This village is for tourism professionals who haven’t had a voice, people who want to learn about this industry. It’s about community in a village. Building each other up, growing together.”
She added: “It is about giving smaller, independent African and Indian Ocean tourism operators the same opportunities as the larger players to be seen, heard and ultimately booked.”
Kasey Engel, owner of Harmony Mauritius, said she had had some amazing meetings on the platform and that the networking had been “amazing”, noting that Around Africa had enabled her to meet key industry partners.
Amy Millican, owner of South Korean company Flya Twiga, highlighted that the “exponential ROI” alone had made it worthwhile for her.
“Sitting at my desk in Korea, in my own time zone, I found a DMC in Mauritius. Without having to fly halfway across the world.”
Millican added that the platform was very intuitive for a non-digital native like her.
Still time to join
There is still time for buyers and exhibitors to join the first popup Around Africa global virtual activation, with meetings continuing until 25 September.
Unlike the traditional trade activation buyers and exhibitors may be accustomed to, Around Africa has deliberately not been designed as a three-day meeting marathon. Instead, the activation is spread across several weeks to create flexibility for tourism professionals to participate around their existing businesses, clients and working days.
This also means that a buyer or exhibitor joining during the later weeks can still enter the village, discover relevant partners, request meetings and derive meaningful value from the activation.
New buyers and exhibitors are being onboarded every day, with Rovos Rail and Jabulani Safari among the latest exhibitors to join as of writing.
Exhibitor participation starts from R4,700 for the showcase, providing smaller and independent tourism businesses with another route to reach global trade without the cost and time commitment traditionally associated with travelling to an international trade show.
The virtual tourism village – which includes supporting spaces such as a lounge, virtual Coffee Corner, Community Tourism Spotlight, workshops and tourism podcasts – will remain online until 30 September.
During each week, the platform continues to open through dedicated regional activation windows as the virtual showroom floor moves around the globe, allowing buyers and exhibitors to join the source markets and time zones most relevant to them.
Buyers and exhibitors meet through pre-scheduled, 20-minute, one-on-one video appointments, with dedicated meeting windows for Australia and New Zealand; Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Africa; North America and Canada; Latin America and the Caribbean; as well as an additional Open Time window for greater flexibility.
There is no requirement to fill an entire diary or spend consecutive days in back-to-back meetings. Participants can dip in and out of the platform, opening the windows that work for them and continuing to discover and make new connections throughout the activation.
Addressing the gap
The platform addresses the gap for smaller businesses that have not managed to attend even one international trade show, whether because of time, cost or operational capacity. There is also a gap for those who simply want to reconnect with buyers or exhibitors before the high season begins.
Participants enter the virtual showroom floor, discover the people, places and businesses that interest them, and arrange focused video meetings around their existing working schedules.
That flexibility is central to the Around Africa model. Participants do not need to have joined on day one to benefit. A buyer or exhibitor entering the village in the final weeks can still explore profiles, connect directly with relevant tourism professionals and arrange meetings during the remaining Global Pop-Up windows.
The invitation remains open: come and join us. Buyers and exhibitors are continuing to enter the village every day, and the opportunity to discover, connect and meet continues throughout September.