E-Tourism Africa Summit speakers announced

Jason Shlosberg, the American tourist and creator of the “Battle at Kruger” safari video that went on to become an award-winning internet sensation will be returning to South Africa to speak at the 4th Annual E-Tourism Africa Summit taking place in Cape Town on 15 and 16 September.

Shlosberg shot the video on a visit to Kruger National Park in 2004 when he witnessed an encounter between lions, buffalos and a crocodile. The video is now the 12th most watched video on YouTube with over 62-million views to date. The video has won numerous awards and has been featured on National Geographic, Animal Planet and international news channels. YouTube co-creator Chad Hurley named it his favourite video ever posted on the site. The video is widely regarded as the greatest example of travel content going “viral” and the power of user generated content to market destinations, with over 62-million people watching South African content with no marketing input or budget.

Also appearing this year will be the digital team from Visit Britain, recently named the most influential online tourist board as well as leading digital agency MDS Ideas who managed the well-known “Best Job In the World” campaign for Queensland Tourism in Australia. They will be joined by top industry players from Google, TripAdvisor, Expedia, the International Federation of IT in Travel and Tourism, and others including the founder and CEO of Travelbod, a new travel social network that connect travellers with local people to provide them with genuine local and advice and expertise.

William Price, global head of e-marketing at South African Tourism says the line-up of international speakers will give the industry a real boost. “One of the most remarkable features of online and social media is the low cost and how it allows small players to reach a global audience.

Mariette Du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism says: “Cape Town Tourism is again a proud partner of the E-Tourism Africa Summit. We are committed to be a leading voice in eMarketing and social media and will continue to play a proactive role in this regard. It is vital that the tourism industry keep up to date with new Internet trends and understand how consumer behaviour is changing in the online space. The summit will be a great opportunity for tourism businesses to hear from global online experts such as TripAdvisor and Expedia, as well as sharing social media success stories in tourism – both locally and globally”.

Registration for the E-Tourism Africa Summit 2011 is open now www.e-tourismfrontiers.com.