The international buyer forum, Essence of Africa, will bring leading African tourism businesses and global buyers to Zanzibar – marking a significant moment for the island’s growing tourism and business events sector.
Zanzibar will host Essence of Africa this October. Taking place from 20–22 October at Diamonds Bijoux, a new beachfront property from the Planhotel Hospitality Group, the forum brings together 150 international buyers and 150 African tourism businesses for three days of face-to-face meetings. This will be its third edition and the first time it has been hosted on an island destination.
Essence of Africa was launched in Nairobi in 2024 by On Show Solutions and ATTA Group Events. Its goal is to bring international travel buyers directly to Africa and allow the continent to sell itself. Buyers attend from across Europe, the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa – pre-qualified decision-makers who leave with new partnerships, product knowledge, and destinations to offer their clients.
For Zanzibar, hosting an event of this scale and calibre is enormously significant. The island is actively building its reputation across business events and incentive travel, and events of this calibre help accelerate that ambition. Tourism already contributes more than 30 per cent of Zanzibar’s GDP. A USD 14.3 billion investment pipeline – with more than half directed at tourism – is bringing new hotels, resorts, and infrastructure online. Conference delegates typically spend more than leisure tourists and often extend their stays beyond the event itself. When 300 senior travel industry professionals spend three days on your island, the economic and reputational impact extends far beyond the event itself.
“We’re really excited to be taking the show to Zanzibar this October,” says Chris Mears, Co-Founder of Essence of Africa. “Hosting the event at Diamonds Bijoux on the east coast is an exciting step for the forum, and the response from Zanzibar’s partners and stakeholders has been incredibly positive.”
What makes Essence of Africa distinctive as a business event extends far beyond the meetings themselves. Each exhibitor receives up to 40 pre-scheduled appointments matched to their specific needs – but the programme is built to deliver far more than a schedule of introductions.
A rich content programme of seminars and panel discussions run alongside the meetings, bringing source market insights directly to delegates, offering a region-by-region read on where international travel demand is heading. Add to that shared meals, evening activities, and familiarisation trips that place buyers inside the destination, and what emerges is an event designed to inform as much as it connects.
“The connections made over a sundowner in Zanzibar are just as valuable as those made across the meeting table – often more so,” says Amanda Margison, Co-Founder of Essence of Africa. “That is the power of choosing a destination over a facility.”
The partnership with Diamonds Bijoux also reflects how Essence of Africa approaches its host destinations. The two organisations worked together in Malindi to deliver the 2025 edition, establishing the trust and shared standards that have since grown into a long-term alliance.
“We are excited to host Essence of Africa at Diamonds Bijoux, a new property launched in February 2026 with 154 rooms, ten villas with butler service, eleven food and beverage outlets, and a conference centre for up to 400 delegates. After hosting last year’s edition at Diamonds Malindi, we look forward to welcoming everyone to Zanzibar,” says Dominique Adolphe, Sales & Marketing Manager, Planhotel Hospitality Group.
“Diamonds Bijoux delivers exactly the standard our buyers and exhibitors expect,” concludes Ms Margison. “Their commitment to their people and their product gives us every confidence in what October will bring.”
Zanzibar has long been a destination travellers want to visit. Thanks to Essence of Africa, it becomes one that the global travel trade comes to do business in.
For more information or to apply, visit essenceofafrica.travel
Visit: essenceofafrica.travel