Across Africa this year, something quiet and practical has been happening. Travel agents are learning to build trips that cross borders, not just sell single flights. They are swapping tips, testing hotels, and taking training that gives them real power to put together multi-country holidays.
Take a moment at any trade stand at a recent expo and you’ll see it: travel agents from different countries leaning over brochures, on their phones arranging meet-ups, or laughing about a shared connection in another capital. It’s low-key, but it works. Those conversations turn into itineraries.
In Nairobi, the Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) used its June AGM to push a new agenda. Over 350 delegates came away talking about distribution, data and partnerships. Earlier, KATA ran familiarisation trips to South Africa and Dubai and continues to roll out hands-on training with GDS providers and airline partners. The aim is simple: when an agent knows a place and can access fares quickly, they can sell it with confidence.
In Dar es Salaam, the Tanzania Society of Travel Agents (TASOTA) ran its AGM and, like others, pushed the same message — better distribution, clearer standards, closer ties with carriers and tourism boards. TASOTA says these are not abstract targets. They are practical steps toward fewer booking headaches, faster confirmations, and packages that actually connect places rather than strand travellers in transit.
On the regional level, the Association of Eastern and Southern Africa Travel Agents (AESATA) is becoming a meeting ground for those ideas. With more than 13 member states under its umbrella, the network is starting to speak with one voice on training needs and policy issues. Those conversations matter. When agents from three different countries agree on a product, it’s easier to sell it to customers across the region.
Trade fairs such as the Magical Kenya Travel Expo (MKTE) and the Africa Tourism Fair (ATF) are doing the heavy lifting. They compress months of outreach into a few days. Suppliers meet buyers, hotels find new agent partners, and tour operators discover routes they never considered. The results include more multi-destination packages on offer and more agents able to book them.
What’s changed on the ground? Familiarisation trips, for one. When agents walk a hotel, test a transfer and meet a local guide, their pitch is sharper. Training is another. Workshops with GDS vendors, airline sales teams and marketing experts are giving smaller agencies tools that used to be the preserve of larger firms. And technology, even basic CRM and payment systems, is making agents faster and more reliable.
Yes, there are still bumps. Visas, inconsistent infrastructure and some stubborn rules keep popping up. But the energy among agents is pragmatic. They are not dreaming big and vague. They are making lists, exchanging contacts and following up on leads.
What this means for travellers is reassuring. Instead of piecing together a trip across several agents, a growing number of agencies can now sell a week in East Africa or a combined city-and-beach holiday with one booking, clear transfers and local support. That’s the real shift: agents moving from ticket-sellers to travel advisors.
Through associations like KATA, TASOTA and AESATA, and the big expos like MKTE and ATF, travel agents are quietly stitching the continent together. It’s practical work. It won’t make headlines every day. But for a traveller who wants to cross borders without the hassle, it already makes a world of difference.
By Felix Wakiuru