The Accra Weizo Travel Expo is a prestigious West African travel and tourism fair that aims to boost tourism across the continent. The 8th edition of this celebrated expo will take place on June 27th, 2025, in Accra, Ghana. Organised by the Akwaaba African Travel Market in collaboration with the Ghana Tourism Authority, the expo will showcase West Africa’s rich cultural heritage and promising tourism potential.
The Accra Weizo primarily exists to advance the African Union’s ‘The Africa We Want’ agenda in 2063. It also aims to boost regional tourism by encouraging West Africans to explore their region through a seamless travel environment, improve travel and tourism growth in West Africa by improving and simplifying travel procedures, make West Africa an open domestic market by harnessing the opportunities within the region, and connect skilled and professional service providers with global markets.
West Africa is poised for steady economic growth, with projections indicating a rise to 4.4% in 2025, with investments in ongoing structural reforms, increased regional integration, and diverse economic strategies adopted by key regional countries paying dividends. The African Development Bank Group expects West Africa’s growth to grow from an estimated 3.2% in 2023 to 4% in 2024 and 4.4% in 2025. Plus, the average inflation in ECOWAS is projected to end at 16.4% in 2025, down 4% from 2024. In the WAEMU, average inflation declined to 3.1% in 2024 and is projected to further slip to 2.5% in 2025, bolstered by a stable currency and an expected decline in food prices.
Despite West Africa’s rich cultural heritage and numerous tourist attractions, it remains one of the least-visited areas in Africa while recording the highest number of outbound travellers on the continent. Several factors contribute to this disparity, including infrastructure deficits, political instability, security concerns, and travel hiccups within the region. The Accra Weizo Travel Expo exists to quell this disparity, repositioning West Africa as a potential destination for tourism.
The expo seeks to leverage regional development by supporting the development of tourism and related industries in West Africa. It also seeks to foster economic growth by improving air connectivity, thus unlocking economic growth potential, attracting business investment, and spurring tourism. The expo also aims to bolster digitalisation, encourage technology to grow African tourism and engender collaboration among ECOWAS countries to boost tourism and economic exchanges.
Key Features of the 8th Accra Weizo Travel Expo
Road Trip Adventure: Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana Spearhead the Revolution
The Accra Weizo Travel Expo will be launched with a road trip that will take travellers through Nigeria, Benin, Togo, and Ghana from June 21st to 26th, 2025. This trip will serve as an opportunity to explore West Africa and foster cross-border tourism.
Tour Operators Summit: Putting the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol Under the Torch
The Tour Operators Summit, themed “Re-Imagining the ECOWAS Free Movement Protocol,” will occur in Accra on June 27, 2025. The summit aims to provide West African tour operators, travel experts, and industry leaders with an opportunity to discuss easing travel processes, investing in new and enhancing existing tourism infrastructure, and encouraging seamless movement within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region.
Exhibition and B2B Networking
Leading airlines, tourism boards, and hospitality brands across West Africa will also be exhibited at the event. Plus, the B2B Networking Session will provide tour operators, travel agents, and industry professionals opportunities to connect, build partnerships, and explore new business opportunities.
Balafon Awards: A Reward of Excellence
The Balafon Awards exists to honour individuals and organisations that have contributed immensely to the growth of the tourism industry within the ECOWAS region. The Balafon Awards of Excellence aims to celebrate the major players in West African travel and tourism.
Fam Trips and Nightlife Exploration
The expo also offers participants Fam Trips, which include guided tours to popular tourist attractions in Ghana, Togo, and Benin. Delegates will experience the region’s vibrant culture, scenic landscapes, and thriving nightlife firsthand.
Accra Weizo Travel Expo: A Brighter Future for West African Tourism
As West African tourism continues to be plagued by infrastructural decay and deficiency, visa and border issues, negative perceptions, limited regional tourism, and economic and security concerns, initiatives like the Accra Weizo Travel Expo provide unique solutions to several pressing problems in the region’s tourism sector.
By promoting seamless travel by addressing border inefficiencies and advocating for streamlined visa processes, infrastructure development, network and capacity building by providing a platform for knowledge sharing among tourism professionals., marketing West Africa as a unified destination via showcasing cultural diversity and attractions across multiple countries, encouraging community-based tourism, and leveraging digitalisation, initiatives like the Expo has the potential to transform the region into a competitive global tourist destination while driving economic growth and cultural integration.
These initiatives also promise broader impacts on regional development, promising economic growth as a thriving tourism sector can contribute significantly to GDP by creating jobs, attracting foreign investment, and fostering cultural exchange, as increased intra-regional travel fosters cultural understanding and strengthens ties among ECOWAS member states.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the main goal of the Accra Weizo Travel Expo?
Accra Weizo encourages West Africans to travel within the region to make West Africa an open domestic market by improving travel and tourism growth through easy access to West African cities, simplified airport and border processes, standardised hotels, and skilled service providers.
- What are some major activities at the Accra Weizo Travel Expo?
Accra Weizo includes a road trip adventure through multiple nations, conferences, B2B networking, exhibitions, and the Balafon Awards of Excellence.
- What is the Balafon Award of Excellence?
The Balafon Awards of Excellence recognise pioneers and top performers in the travel and tourism industry in the ECOWAS region.
- How does Accra Weizo contribute to regional collaboration?
Accra Weizo is a platform for stakeholders, including governments, to discuss ways to promote sustainable tourism and seamless travel within the region. It fosters collaboration among countries and tourism bodies and encourages partnerships to showcase West Africa’s cultural heritage, landscapes, and communities.
- Who organises the Accra Weizo Travel Expo, and who are the partners?
Akwaaba African Travel Market organises Accra Weizo in partnership with the Ghana Tourism Authority.
