Johannesburg… Some of the world’s leading online experts will be speaking at Southern Africa’s first e-tourism conference. Global online giants such as Microsoft, Expedia and Google will be giving presentations at the two day conference on the 1-2 September, on how Southern Africa’s tourism sector can harness the potential of the web, especially in the lead up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Published: 31 Jul 2008

Johannesburg… Some of the world’s leading online experts will be speaking at Southern Africa’s first e-tourism conference. Global online giants such as Microsoft, Expedia and Google will be giving presentations at the two day conference on the 1-2 September, on how Southern Africa’s tourism sector can harness the potential of the web, especially in the lead up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Also among the stellar line up of speakers is leading Internet innovator Jerome Touze - the co CEO and one of the Founders of WAYN.com – the world’s leading travel social networking site.

Touze, aged 28, conceived the online idea, after a year spent backpacking the globe in 2002. He wanted to create a social networking website that was specifically designed for travellers, that allowed them to create a profile for themselves and share their travel experiences, photos, advice and recommendations with fellow travellers online. He discussed the idea with his friend Peter Ward, also in his twenties, in a pub over a few beers and the two agreed to work together. From there they developed and worked on the site in their spare time.

Five years later WAYN.com has over 13 million members and not only does it offer social networking for travellers but it sells travel insurance, global SIM cards, a mobile translation tool and provides access to travel booking for members. From a basic start up company with two people, thirty five staff are now employed in the company’s offices in London and Poland. WAYN.com has had several approaches for sale with high rumoured valuations.

“I am very excited to be speaking at Africa’s first international E-tourism Conference. I grew up in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, so am particularly proud to be invited to speak here at such a high profile travel event. With sales of online travel valued at more than US $100 billion, marketing online and making educated decisions about use of the web is a must for Africa’s tourism sector. I want to share some of my experiences of how Web 2.0 can be used to market tourism”, said WAYN.com co-CEO Jerome Touze.

In conjunction to hearing about the latest trends and technologies in online marketing, all conference delegates will receive free of charge US $50 of Google Ad Words credit to use to promote their business using Google’ s search engine marketing tools. They will also receive a free printed copy of the new book “eMarketing - the essential guide to online marketing”, by Rob Stokes the CEO of Quirk e-Marketing, which retails for 325 rand.

The E Tourism Southern Africa conference is being sponsored by FNB Bank, Microsoft, Visa International and the Johannesburg Tourism Company. Damian Cook, the MD of E Tourism Africa, said the company is committed to developing and promoting online tourism across the continent.

“This conference offers practical business driven solutions for the tourism trade. We have already received registrations from many of Southern Africa’s leading hotels, airlines, travel and tour operators. Anyone who wants to make their tourism business stronger and more sustainable should attend this event”, said Cook.

The E Tourism Southern Africa conference will be held in Johannesburg at the FNB Building at Fairland on the 1st-2nd September, followed by three days of special training seminars for the tourist trade on the 3rd-5th September at the FNB Conference and Learning Centre – Sandown, Sandton. Following the Southern Africa event, conferences will be held in Nairobi in October, with additional conferences planned for Cairo and Ghana in early 2009, culminating with a pan African event mid 2009.

For conference registration go to www.e-tourismafrica.com

ENDS
For additional information visit www.e-tourismafrica.com
Damian Cook- Managing Director E Tourism Africa
Email: damian@e-tourismafrica.com Cell: +254 733 826 712

Or contact Lisa Rabbits at Fleishman Hillard Johannesburg.
Email: lisa.rabbitts@fleishman.co.za Office: +27 11548 2000

Notes to Editor

Online Travel Information
There are an estimated 1.2 billion internet users globally. There has been substantial growth in all world regions, particularly in Asia and the Pacific, which, over seven years, has moved from third position (with about 100 million users), to top position with over 400 million. Current forecasts suggest 1.5 billion people with Internet access in 2011.

In general, travellers are increasingly computer literate and tech aware, with two thirds of the over 100 million travelers who are online (using the Internet to make travel plans). Among online frequent travellers, over 70 percent use the Internet for travel planning. A recent poll of young UK travellers showed an 89% preference for online booking.

New media on the web has major ramifications for travel. This is reflective of the new Web 2.0 environment, fuelled by content and driven by Social Networking. About 44% of US consumers will use social networking at least once a month in 2008. Some 70% of Internet content is forecast to be created by individuals as opposed to publishers and brands within three years.

The nearly tenfold increase in social network advertising spending in the US reflects optimism in the ability of companies like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook. By 2011, research estimates there will be 95 million Web users creating content online, up from 64 million in 2006. (ETC New Media Review, Emarketer, Eye for Travel)
www.eyefortravel.com

About E Tourism Africa
Delegates to the Southern Africa E Tourism Conference, will not only receive presentations from some of the world’s top digital experts, they will also be given best practice examples and case studies tailored to a Southern African market. The conference will examine some of the challenges to doing business online in Africa such as broadband speeds, e-commerce and blogging, social networking and online video.

Keynote presentations will be given from the following companies:

Expedia - Worlds Largest Online Travel Agency
WAYN.com - World’s Largest Online Social Network for travellers
Microsoft
Google
Digital Visitor- Online Video Marketing solutions
Quirk - eMarketing for Tourism
EyeforTravel- Research on Online Travel Trends
Peter Varlow- formerly visitbritain.com
SA Tourism
VISA - Online Payments & Corporate Cards

The conference programme is being implemented in conjunction with Microsoft and EyeforTravel, (the World’s largest Online Travel Conferencing Organisation) which host 26 events around the world and this will be their first African event see www.eyefortravel.com