Africa Travel WeekThe importance of tourism infrastructure is reflected in the fact that it can contribute to increasing the efficiency of production and distribution of tourism services, and, in some cases, such as remote destinations, even increase the supply of tourism services. Covid19 has brought many projects to a halt. During this panel, industry experts will identify investment challenges and cross border infrastructure investment priorities such as mobilising funding, harnessing investment opportunities, and developing market access and growth to revive African Economies hard hit by the COVID pandemic.
THE SPEAKERS
Thembi Kunene-Msimang
Chief Operating Officer, Tourvest IME
Thembi has a Communications Degree from the University of Fort-Hare and completed the Management Development Programme with the Graduate School of Management – University of Pretoria. Her tourism career took off in 1994, when she was appointed Public Relations Officer for OR Tambo International Airport (then known as Jan Smuts Airport). She went on to become the first and youngest black female to manage an airport in South Africa, when she took over as Head of George Airport, in the heart of tourism – the Garden Route, Western Cape in 1997.
William Mcintyre
Regional Director, Africa, Radisson Hotel Group
William McIntyre, Regional Director for Africa is based in the Radisson Hotel Group Regional Support Office in South Africa. In this role, McIntyre assumes responsibilities for all the English-speaking countries in Africa. South African national McIntyre, has over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, with his most recent role as COO for the largest hospitality real estate fund in Southern Africa, Hospitality Property Fund. McIntyre also held the position of Asset Management and Development Director at Kharafi Hospitality, one of the largest private Middle Eastern investors in the hospitality sector in Southern Africa.
Salim Mikram
Director of Investments and international Cooperation, Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development (SMIT), Rabat, Morocco
Before joining SMIT Salim Mikram accumulated more than 10 years in investment banking and strategy consulting in various positions. He worked for more than 4 years JP Morgan Chase Bank in London in several positions before joining Upline Corporate Finance, a boutique investment advisory firm based in Casablanca, Morocco. As such, he advised prominent shareholders and investors in some of the largest merger and acquisition transactions in Morocco at the time. In 2011, Salim joined SANAM GROUP, a cross sector holding company advising the top management on the overall strategy of the group and some restructuring programs in affiliated firms. Late 2015, he joined the Moroccan Agency for Tourism Development (SMIT MOROCCO), the Government body in charge of destination development, supervising the implementation of the tourism investment promotion strategy in Morocco.
THE MODERATOR
Alexander Woods
Membership and Partnership Manager
at Invest Africa
Alexander is Membership and Partnership Manager at Invest Africa, managing UK members and global partnerships for the leading pan-African business platform that promotes trade and investment in Africa. Invest Africa has a global footprint of more than 400 member companies, comprising multinationals, private equity firms, institutional investors, development finance institutions, professional service organisations, government bodies and entrepreneurs.
