Equal Africa 2022
EQUAL Africa launches at Africa Travel Week to discuss equal love, equal rights, equal experiences, equal opportunities, and more!
Dozens of people are converging on Cape Town, South Africa this week for the International Luxury Travel Market Africa (ILTM Africa) conference and World Travel Market Africa (WTM Africa) conference. It’s a concerted effort for Africa Travel Week, a time to expose travel suppliers, buyers, media, and lifestyle brands to unique luxury travel as it pertains primarily to the continent.
As part of the Africa Travel Week, there are a series of panels specifically coordinated to share the LGBTQ+ travel experience. EQUAL Africa, in partnership with International LGBTQ+ Travel Association (IGLTA), brings together travel suppliers, buyers, and media as well as lifestyle brands targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
Attendees hear from influential people who can pass on some great lessons, enabling them to avoid the mistakes of brands who have ‘superficially’ tried to break into the LGBTQ+ market. Engaging in several educational sessions brings all of the debate about LGBTQ+ travel to the table.
The LGBTQ+ community is fighting for something that non-LGBTQ+ travelers have always taken for granted – a sense of belonging. The ability for an individual to choose where in the world they feel like they really belong has always been the privilege of those who conform. Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression is an all-too-familiar reality for the LGBTQ+ community.
Some of the featured topics included: “Beyond 2022: Trends for LGBTQ+ Travel,” “How to Make LGBTQ+ Travel Truly Transformative,” “LGBTQ+ Sensitivity and Sales Training for Tourism and Hospitality Brands,” and the “Challenges of LGBTQ+ African Travel and How to Overcome Them.”
One of the featured panels, “How to Earn Brand Loyalty from LGBTQ+ Travelers,” included Thami Kotlolo, founder of The Feather Awards; Michael Gladwin, managing director of Afrigay Travel; and Kwin Mosby, editor in chief for Vacationer Magazine. CEO of EveryQueer, Meg Ten Eyck, moderated the panel in a discussion about everything including the concerns LGBTQ+ travelers are faced with when traveling; how suppliers and lifestyle brands should invest in the Queer community versus “pinkwashing” or sticking a rainbow sticker on their business during Pride month.
EQUAL Africa is a move to educate and hopefully, inform suppliers and lifestyle brands about the tools and resources to create viable strategies to attract, serve, and maintain true loyalty from LGBTQ+ travelers.
