The Ubuntu: Africa Invites You To Live campaign, developed by ATREVIA, a global Communication and Strategic Positioning company, won the Inspiration Africa Branding Challenge organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in collaboration with CNN International. Its proposal was selected from more than 200 entries received.
The international call invited agencies, creative firms and entrepreneurs to present an innovative and original brand strategy with the aim of positioning the diversity of Africa and its destinations in the minds of travellers in the post-COVID era. The challenge was to highlight the continent’s strengths, thus fostering a positive image and enhancing the efforts of individual countries and organizations to boost the sustainable growth of the region with tourism as a driver of development.
“It is certainly very rewarding to have been chosen to take on a project as special as this. We are excited to be, in some way, ambassadors of such a spectacular region as Africa, with its infinite possibilities that often escape general knowledge. It’s time to rediscover destinations and maximize the use of innovation and digital technology for a mission as important as revitalizing tourism. This approach has guided the work of a fantastic team that has shown, once again, that by integrating talent and multi-disciplinary knowledge, it is possible to overcome the challenges of communication,” said Núria Vilanova, president and founder of the consultancy. “At ATREVIA we feel proud and privileged to have the opportunity to contribute to the knowledge and development of such an important sector for the African continent.”
“We need solutions that restore confidence in travel to ensure that the many benefits of tourism are widely enjoyed. Africa’s potential for tourism is undeniable, as is the potential of tourism to drive inclusive development across the continent. If the restart of tourism is managed in a responsible and coordinated manner, harnessing the power of innovation, entrepreneurship and communication, this sector will be able to transform the lives of millions of people and help protect and preserve Africa’s rich cultural and natural heritage and diversity,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili.
Ubuntu: Africa Invites You To Live was created through the development of a territorial brand methodology that aims to distil all the attributes of a continent as extensive and plural as Africa within a unified concept that is adaptable to different tourism products and different audiences. A 360-degree campaign will be centred on the notion of “Ubuntu”, a traditional term describing people’s loyalty and their relationships, and will include the creation of Africa’s first emotion map: a digital innovation that helps measure the emotions and feelings generated by travellers visiting the continent. Through social listening and Big Data, comments on experiences are collected and positive feelings discovered in each country are extracted.
