Tourism BraIN: A new initiative to boost SMEs in Africa

Tourism BraIN, a new digital platform that aims to connect and empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the African travel and tourism sector, was launched at the recent Meetings Africa event. The platform, which is developed by Rendzo Network Management, a business acquisition and sharing network, will facilitate cross-border business referrals and information sharing among African tourism SMEs, and help them access new markets and opportunities. The platform will also provide tourism resources, support programmes, and a wide range of opportunities for the SMEs.

The need for intra-continental and international collaboration

The launch of Tourism BraIN was announced at the sustainability and inclusivity seminar at the Meetings Africa event, which was held in Johannesburg from February 28 to March 1. The seminar highlighted the need for intra-continental and international collaboration to uplift SMEs in the African travel and tourism sector, and the role of business events in facilitating such collaboration.

Septi Bukula, Founder of Rendzo Network Management, said that the number-one issue for SME development was access to markets, and that the African tourism sector had a huge potential to create more markets for SMEs. He said that the continent had a diverse and rich tourism offering, and that there was a growing demand for authentic and experiential travel among domestic, regional, and international tourists.

However, he also said that there were many challenges and barriers that hindered the growth and competitiveness of SMEs in the sector, such as the lack of information, skills, finance, technology, and networks. He said that SMEs needed more support and collaboration from the public and private sectors, as well as from other SMEs, to overcome these challenges and to seize the opportunities.

The features and benefits of Tourism BraIN

Tourism BraIN is a digital platform that aims to address the challenges and barriers faced by SMEs in the African travel and tourism sector, and to provide them with more support and collaboration. The platform has the following features and benefits:

• It enables cross-referring of businesses among African tourism SMEs, which means that SMEs can refer their customers or clients to other SMEs that can provide complementary or additional services or products, and vice versa. This way, SMEs can create more value for their customers or clients, and generate more revenue for themselves and for other SMEs.
• It facilitates information sharing among African tourism SMEs, which means that SMEs can access and exchange relevant and useful information, such as tourism resources, support programmes, best practices, market trends, and opportunities. This way, SMEs can improve their knowledge and skills, and enhance their performance and competitiveness.
• It provides a wide range of opportunities for African tourism SMEs, which means that SMEs can access and participate in various opportunities, such as training, mentoring, networking, funding, marketing, and innovation. This way, SMEs can develop their capacities and capabilities, and expand their markets and networks.

The vision and mission of Tourism BraIN

Tourism BraIN is a vision and a mission of Rendzo Network Management, which is a business acquisition and sharing network that operates in various sectors, such as construction, manufacturing, and services. The vision of Tourism BraIN is to create a vibrant and sustainable African tourism sector that is driven by SMEs. The mission of Tourism BraIN is to empower and enable African tourism SMEs to grow and thrive through business referrals and information sharing.

Bukula said that Tourism BraIN was taking the collaborative network continentally, and that it would use the platform to refer businesses to do business across borders. He said that Tourism BraIN was open to all African tourism SMEs, regardless of their size, location, or niche. He said that Tourism BraIN was also open to partnerships and collaborations with other stakeholders, such as associations, agencies, and institutions, that could add value to the platform and to the SMEs.

He invited all interested parties to join Tourism BraIN, and to register on the website, www.tourismbrain.africa. He said that Tourism BraIN was currently in the beta testing phase, and that it would be fully operational by April 2024.