ABTA - African Business Travel Association

Tech is no longer optional. If your clients are using it – and they are – you can't afford to be left behind.

Our first Kenya webinar of the year brought together some seriously sharp minds to talk about new tech, AI adoption, and, as a bonus, the latest trends in aviation and travel, including airline, route and hub updates on the African continent.

A massive thanks to Aaron Munetsi (Airlines Association of Southern Africa), Brian Kitchin (Fastjet), Joseph Kithitu (KATA & Hemingways Travel), Nicanor Sabula (KATA) and Kgotso Ndaba (Visa). Together they unpacked automation, booking tools, expense management, data analytics, and much, much more.

Whatever the size of your business, whatever your current tech ‘comfort level’, the investment – both in time and money – is less than most people imagine.

The good news? You don't have to figure it out alone. This is exactly the kind of expert insight and practical guidance that ABTA membership gives you access to.

Not yet a member? Learn more about ABTA here: https://abta.co.za/?v=959848ca10cc

It's been almost two weeks since the Iran War shut down airspace across the Middle East, and with 4,000 flights cancelled per day at the start of the crisis our members have been inundated with questions: the majority around stranded traveller assistance, disruption handling policies, cancellations and refunds.

Fortunately, three brilliant industry experts stepped up to help – and we couldn't be more grateful.

A huge thank you to 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐲 (Rennies BCD Travel SA), 𝐊𝐡𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐍𝐣𝐨𝐤𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐢 (Bryte Travel Insurance) and 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 (Chubb Travel Insurance) for giving their time and sharing their expertise on our emergency Middle East webinar.

Having credible, practical insights in one place – on triaging travellers, the current state of play and insurance (including War Exclusions, Known Event status and Government Advisories) made a real difference.

This is exactly why we do what we do. Stay tuned for more member webinars – they're one of the best resources we offer, especially when things get complicated fast.

Not yet a member? Learn more about ABTA here: https://www.abta.co.za/

ABTA Emergency Webinar | Middle East Crisis | Friday 6 March 13:00 – 14:00 SAST | Free to attend

With the Middle East situation changing by the hour, ABTA is bringing together expert voices to help business travel professionals navigate what's happening on the ground — from stranded traveller assistance to insurance cover and cancellation policies.

Join us as we share the most up-to-date information and resources.

No online booking needed – simply RSVP by 10am tomorrow (South Africa time) to secure your place.
📩 [email protected]

Want to develop a keener understanding of Corporate Travel trends, challenges and opportunities in Africa?

Join us on our webinar series covering Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia coming up in March.
More info: https://lnkd.in/dvdTH2en

Image:pvproductions on Freepik

We're excited to announce the kick-off of this much-anticipated project with a baseline traveller survey.

Most Corporate Sustainability strategies focus on the big levers - Flight emissions, Supplier selection, Carbon reporting and ESG policies. But the traveller has a big role to play too - once they are on that trip, their behaviour becomes the final lever.

With an estimated 5.2 million business trips around the globe DAILY, helping travellers become more aware and intentional about their travel habits can have a critical and massively positive impact on sustainability.

Our baseline traveller survey will give us the perfect launching point and we look forward to industry input and engagement in the coming months.

Introducing a Global First in Corporate Travel Sustainability In 2025, ABTA was proud to launch something the corporate travel sector has never done before: a deep-dive, micro-level investigation into wasteful traveller behaviours — and their true impact on sustainability. While sustainability conversations in travel have traditionally focused on carbon emis...

Season’s greetings from ABTA! Wishing everyone a happy, blessed festive season.

As we close out 2025, we are truly grateful for a remarkable year.
We extend our sincere thanks to our Members and Sponsors for your continued support throughout 2025.
It has been a year of meaningful progress, and we look forward to deeper engagement, continued collaboration, and shared success in 2026.

Wishing all South Africans a peaceful and meaningful Day of Reconciliation.

Introducing a Global First in Corporate Travel Sustainability.
We are proud to share this article by Monique Swart, on ABTA’s research into wasteful traveller behaviour and how it can reshape sustainability in business travel.

Introducing a Global First in Corporate Travel Sustainability In 2025, ABTA was proud to launch something the corporate travel sector has never done before: a deep-dive, micro-level investigation into wasteful traveller behaviours — and their true impact on sustainability. While sustainability conversations in travel have traditionally focused on carbon emis...

Kenya Corporate Travel Webiner: Corporate Travel professionals based in Kenya – or those with an interest in the Kenyan market, are invited to join us on the 6th of November 2025, as we discuss key challenges and solutions when buying and supplying corporate travel products and services in this market.

Book your seat now at www.abta.co.za/events

Kenya Association of Travel Agents
Visa

Corporate travel professionals operating in, or with an interest in, the Nigerian market are invited to join ABTA and NANTA for an upcoming webinar focused on Cross-Border Payment Solutions.

We will explore key challenges and practical solutions when buying and supplying corporate travel products and services in Nigeria, including card acceptance issues and how travel suppliers can improve payment systems to support growth.

Attendance is complimentary for ABTA and NANTA members.

Book your seat at www.abta.co.za/events

A Heartfelt Thank You!

We would like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who attended our Annual ABTA Conference at Tsogo Sun Silverstar Hotel last week. Your energy, engagement, and passion truly brought the event to life.

A special thank you to Mastercard and AC Media for capturing these fantastic Conference moments for us. We are so grateful for these memories and the impact we made.

To our brilliant speakers, amazing sponsors, and inspiring attendees — your presence made our conference a tremendous success.
We can't wait to see what we will achieve together in the future.

Thank you, from all of us at ABTA.