Africa Showcase Australasia has opened in Brisbane, launching a four-city roadshow designed to connect African tourism suppliers with Australian and New Zealand buyers as interest in Africa continues to build across the region. The 2026 programme began at The Westin Brisbane on 21 July before moving on to Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.
The roadshow brings together tourism boards, lodges, camps, destination specialists and hospitality operators from across Africa and the Indian Ocean, giving suppliers a direct route into one of the world’s higher-value long-haul markets. Organisers say the format is built around productive trade meetings, destination updates and networking rather than large-scale exhibition style selling.
Four-city roadshow puts Africa in front of key buyers
This year’s Australasia edition runs across Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland from 21 to 30 July. The events are aimed at wholesalers, independent Africa specialists and frontline advisors, with participation structured to keep meetings targeted and commercially relevant.
According to the official event page, attending buyers can meet suppliers spanning safari lodges and camps, hotels, private villas, attractions and destination experts, with product drawn from Southern, East and West Africa as well as the Indian Ocean islands. Australasian partners supporting the programme include Abercrombie & Kent, Adventure Destinations, Adventure World, Bench Africa, MW Tours, The Africa Safari Co, This Is Africa, Viva Expeditions and World Journeys.
Demand from Australia and New Zealand continues to strengthen
The return of Africa Showcase to Australasia comes as organisers point to growing appetite for Africa across both markets. In comments published ahead of the roadshow, Luxury Travel Marketing managing director Margi Jansma said travellers are increasingly seeking authentic, boutique and experience-led holidays rather than conventional itineraries. She also said demand is being driven by clients looking for multi-country journeys that are easy to package and offer clear value.
Jansma said Australian and New Zealand travellers are responding particularly well to itineraries that combine cities, safari and smaller lodges, while value-adds remain an important part of the sales proposition. She also encouraged suppliers to think beyond single-country product and show how destinations can work together in broader itineraries.
Roadshows remain a practical route to market
Africa Showcase is organised by On Show Solutions in partnership with Luxury Travel Marketing and is positioned as a focused business platform rather than a consumer event. Organisers say the model is designed to give exhibitors access to decision-making buyers, market intelligence and post-event reporting, while helping advisors discover and compare African product without long-haul travel.
With demand for experience-led long-haul travel holding up, the Brisbane opener sets the tone for a roadshow that is as much about commercial relationships as destination inspiration. For African suppliers, the opportunity lies in showing not only what is new, but how their product fits the kind of itineraries Australian and New Zealand travellers are increasingly looking to book.
