We all know that on the international scene, some of the biggest show-stopper events happen at the very beginning of the year, from the Grammy’s, the Oscars, and the British BATFA’s.
Naturally, events such as Trade shows, fairs and conferences in the tourism industry are the best way to find new partners and source service providers at a global level. This year many of these have already been done and dusted such as the just-ended WTM Africa showcase that rocked Cape Town earlier this month.
However, If you missed any of those, the good news is that there are still plenty more major events for any players in the industry: destinations, hoteliers, F&B, travel agents, airlines, technology providers, start-ups, public institutions and more.
Here are our top picks of must-attend 2023 events and exhibitions we would still love to attend!

Event: Malawi International Tourism Expo (MITE)
Dates: 26-27 April 2023
Location: Bingu Wa Mutharika International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe Malawi
Malawi Tourism announced the return of the 4th Takulandirani Malawi International Tourism Exposition (MITE) after a 3-year halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic control measures which banned international travel.
It is designed for regional and local buyers, media and tourism enterprises, operators & stakeholders and annually it features marketing tips and tricks for tourism SMEs to access international markets, and cultural heritage and tourism.
Malawi, known as the “Warm Heart of Africa and Africa”, links the Southern and Eastern African regions. As a destination, Malawi offers a myriad of activities not found in other countries in the region such as freshwater beaches and the world’s largest freshwater aquarium with over 1,000 unique species of colourful cichlids, challenging biking, trekking and hiking trails.

Event: Comic Con 2021
Date: 24 April 2021
Location: Cape Town Stadium, South Africa
Comic Con SA is the African version of the acclaimed multi-genre entertainment, comic and fan convention born out of the more widely known International Comic Con events globally.
The four-day festival focuses on all elements of pop culture and brings international and local comic artists, comic book characters, film and TV celebrities to South Africa where they meet fans, sign autographs and have photo ops.
Packed with championships, competitions, super show specials, product launches, workshops, panels, Q&A sessions, screenings, activations, and interactive experiences, there is something for everyone to enjoy whether you are a casual fan or a bona fide geek.
Event: Harare International Festival of Arts (HIFA)
Dates: 26 April-01 May, 2023
Location: Harare, Zimbabwe
The annual Harare International Festival of the Arts, HIFA, held in the capital of Zimbabwe is one of Africa’s largest international arts festivals. The week-long festival typically encompasses five principal disciplines: theatre, music, dance, fine art, and poetry.
Held over six days around late April or early May, HIFA brings international acts to produce a crammed timetable alongside top-billed artists. The explosion of artistic creativity unleashed by HIFA enables the people of Zimbabwe to show the world their resilience and strength in the face of adversity.
Performances usually include Afrobeat, funk, jazz, soul, opera, classical music, theatre and dance performed by various local and international artists.
Event: The U.S. Travel Association’s IPW
Dates: May 20th-24th, 2023
Location: San Antonio, Texas U.S.A.
US travel exhibitors convene once a year in San Antonio, Texas for the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW international inbound travel trade show. At IPW, US travel exhibitors connect with travel buyers and media from more than 70 countries to share their products and build new business relationships. IPW showcases the American travel industry to its international visitors to promote and increase tourism in the USA.
The U.S. Travel Association’s IPW is the leading international inbound travel trade show.

Event: Table Tennis World Championship
Dates: May 22-28, 2023
Location: Durban, South Africa
For the first time since 1939, a World Table Tennis Championship event is coming to the African continent and an all-time first for South Africa.
The tournament features five individual events, which include men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, which are currently held in odd-numbered years.
This prestigious event in 2023 will be hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, in Duran which is another iconic venue that gives the City and Province the edge when it comes to hosting major events.
Experience Africa
Date: June 26 – 28th 2023
Location: London, United Kingdom
Experience Africa hosted by the African Travel & Tourism Association, ATTA, is an annual event known for uniting African suppliers with the most relevant, active buyers from the UK & Europe in one place. Experience Africa showcases a refreshingly wide range of inspiring travel products and enticingly curated experiences, all being sold right now across the incredible continent. This essential B2B event will present the very best African product portfolios, assuring connectivity between key European buyers and handpicked quality exhibitors, maximising exposure in a way never seen before in the UK.
Running over three days, ATTA will be held from Monday 26 June to Wednesday 28 June at a new venue, Chelsea Football Club in London.
Event: Netball World Cup
Dates: July 28 – August 6, 2023
Location: CTICC (Cape Town International Convention Centre)
In another first for Africa, The Vitality Netball World Cup 2023 will be hosted this year at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
In honour of the African continent in August 2022, the mascot for the tournament was revealed following a public competition where the chosen design was from 11-year-old Violet Cassidy from England. The mascot is an anthromorphic meerkat named Letsasi, meaning “sun” in Setswana
This will be the sixteenth staging of the premier competition in international netball set to be held from Friday, 28 July to Sunday, 6 August.
Event: Africa Tourism Leadership Awards
Dates: 18th – 20th October 2023
Location: Gaborone, Botswana.
The 5th Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and Awards is a Pan-African dialogue platform which strives to recognise and honour change-makers and innovations pioneered by Africans, in Africa, for African travel tourism, hospitality, aviation and related industries.
It brings together key stakeholders of Africa’s travel, tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors to network, share insights, and devise strategies for intra-Africa travel and tourism growth across the continent, whilst enhancing the brand equity of “Destination Africa’’.
Africa Tourism Leadership Awards recognise the game-changers in the tourism sector focusing on notable individuals and groups’ initiatives being pursued across the sector.
Awards Categories include:
- Leading in Progressive Policies’ Award
- Outstanding Tourism Transportation Award
- Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award
- Women in Leadership Award
- Most Innovative Business Tourism Destination Award
- Outstanding Accommodation Facility/Group Award
- Outstanding Africa Tourism Media & Marketing Award
- Championing Sustainability Award
- Destination Africa – Lifetime Award
Among the events 2020 big winners included Ethiopian Airways clinching the Outstanding Tourism Transportation Award, Rwandan President, Paul Kagame who won the Destination Africa Lifetime award and our very own Nomad Africa Magazine scooped 3rd position in the Outstanding Africa Tourism Media Award!!!
Event: FIFA Club World Cup
Dates: Dec 12 to Dec 22, 2023
Location: Saudi Arabia
The FIFA Club World Cup is an annual international men’s association football competition, which has all along involved seven club teams. The tournament teams comprise the winners of that year’s AFC Champions League (Asia), CAF Champions League (Africa), CONCACAF Champions League (North America), Copa Libertadores (South America), OFC Champions League (Oceania) and UEFA Champions League (Europe), along with the host nation’s national champions.
It is a competition to find the world’s best club football team. The competition was first contested in 2000, then called the FIFA Club World Championship, and held in Brazil. This year’s tournament will be the last seven-team Club World Cup before the tournament is expanded to 32 sides in 2025.
Real Madrid are the defending champions.
Event: The Grand Egyptian Museum Opening
Dates: Estimated opening: Late-2023
Location: Giza, Egypt
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), also known as the Giza Museum, is an archaeological museum under construction in Giza, Egypt.
It is set to be officially opened in 2023 as the largest archaeological museum in the world. The opening of the museum, located just outside of Cairo on the Giza Plateau, was postponed because of Covid and is now scheduled to open soon.
It will house artefacts of ancient Egypt, including the complete Tutankhamun collection, and is set to be the largest archaeological museum in the world.
That’s it from us here at Nomad Africa for now, see you all at each fun-filled event!