Joyce Onwuka
The 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market will place sports tourism at the centre of its 2026 edition, bringing together tour operators from West and East Africa to explore how the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) can be leveraged to boost intra-African travel, tourism investment and regional partnerships. Scheduled to hold from September 13th to 15th, 2026, at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, the annual travel and tourism exhibition will feature the return of the African Tour Operators’ Summit, which is making a comeback after an eight-year hiatus since its inaugural edition in 2018.
According to the organizers, the summit is designed to connect tour operators from Nigeria and other West African countries with their counterparts from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, creating a platform to jointly develop travel packages for football fans expected to attend AFCON 2027, which will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The initiative recognises the complementary strengths of the two regions. While West Africa has long been regarded as the continent’s football powerhouse, East Africa has established itself as one of Africa’s premier tourism destinations, renowned for its wildlife, beaches, national parks and adventure tourism offerings. By combining these strengths, organisers believe the tournament can become a catalyst for increased cross-border tourism and economic collaboration.
The summit will encourage African tour operators to network, establish strategic partnerships and jointly market multi-destination itineraries that allow football supporters to combine match attendance with leisure experiences across East Africa. The collaboration is also expected to stimulate business opportunities for airlines, hotels, destination management companies and other tourism service providers.
In addition to the Tour Operators’ Summit, Akwaaba 2026 will host the Africa Travel 100 Awards for African Tour Operators on September 14th, recognising operators who have made significant contributions to promoting African destinations to African travellers. Eligibility for nomination requires that participants must have at least five (5) years of experience in selling outbound tours into Africa, sell tours into other African countries, must have done at least five 5 tours to any African country in the last 18 months, must be based in Africa, they can be nominated by a past winner of Africa Travel 100 Awards as an endorsement while tour Operators are allowed to nominate themselves if they meet the criteria but must be endorsed by a tour operator from another country.
The AKWAABA African Travel Market remains the biggest and only travel expo in West Africa, providing a leading platform for recognition, networking, and industry engagement. The 3-day event brings together key stakeholders across the tourism and travel ecosystem and features major highlights such as the African Food Fair, Medical Tourism Expo, Africa Youth Tourism Bantaba, Wonders of Nigeria Expo, and the Aviation & Cargo Conference.
Over the years, AKWAABA African Travel Market has consistently hosted editions of the Africa Travel 100 Awards, including recognitions for Top 100 Travel Companies in West Africa in 2016, Africa Travel 100 Women in 2017, Africa Travel 100 Tour Operators in 2018, Africa Travel 100 Global Personalities in 2019, Africa Travel 100 Women in 2022, Africa Travel 100 Under 40 in 2023, Africa Travel 100 Global Leaders in 2024, and Africa Travel 100 Women in 2025.
The platform has grown to become one of the most important tourism marketing events in the region, attracting participants, exhibitors, and awardees from across Africa and beyond, including countries such as The Gambia, Kenya, Benin, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Seychelles, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana, Tanzania, South Africa, Turkey, Namibia, Togo, India, São Tomé and Príncipe, Malta, the Netherlands, Bahrain, the Bahamas, Spain, Morocco, and many others.
Over the years, AKWAABA has also hosted several distinguished personalities including Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former President Dawda Jawara of The Gambia, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Sir Emeka Anyaoku, and former Vice President of Nigeria Sir Alex Ekwueme. The event continues to attract Ministers of Tourism, State Governors, Ambassadors, and High Commissioners from across Africa and beyond.
Described by the organisers as the “Africans for Africa Awards,” the initiative celebrates businesses advancing intra-African travel and regional tourism integration. The three-day event will also feature a broad programme of activities, including the Africa Food Fair, African Medical Tourism Forum, African Tourism Conference, destination wedding showcase, African Youth Tourism Bantaba, travel technology sessions, CHINET Aviacargo, business-to-business meetings, exhibitions and networking events.