Africa Tourism Partners, UN Tourism and BDO have announced the relocation of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit and Challenge to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Nairobi in Kenya will no longer host the Summit.

The Summit will now be held in Johannesburg in partnership with South African Tourism and Johannesburg Tourism. The event will run from 24 to 26 June 2025 as follows: 

24 June - Delegates' Arrival and Registration 
25 June - Full Summit Day
26 June - Full Summit Day
27 June – Day at Leisure and Delegates' Departure 

These dates coincide with South Africa’s Youth Month of June, which holds high significance to the country.

In the same vein, the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit is a gathering of young change-makers, ministries of tourism, ICT, hospitality policymakers, venture capitalists, international buyers and investors to engage in discussions that will contribute to the growth of tourism in the African continent.

The Summit also provides networking, collaboration and career guidance opportunities as well as business growth through a well-organised exhibition. 

 The thematic areas of the Summit will include, but are not limited to: 

• Bridging the Start-Up Divide: Redefining the pathways for capital raising by leveraging the needs of national and international venture capital networks. 
• Artificial Intelligence Adoption: Navigating AI disruptions and promising business prospects for youth and start-ups in the future of Africa’s tourism ecosystem. 
• Tech-driven Future: Utilising Design Thinking as a strategic tool for powering innovation and creativity in travel, tourism and hospitality entrepreneurship. 
• Community Engagement and Inclusive Tourism: Creating tourism clusters as formal and informal commercial villages for youth and women employment and financial inclusion. 
• The Dawn of AI Revolution: Turning to AI for tourism, travel and hospitality business growth and profitability. 

The first round of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Challenge has been completed. The judges have identified the top 20 finalists who will be immersed in the bootcamp prior to the selection of the top 5 finalists.

The top 5 candidates will be announced at the Summit in Johannesburg.