We have had an exciting start to April!
We are proud to announce that Love Africa Marketing was awarded Gold in the category of ‘Most Compelling Agency Story’ in a ceremony at the World Tourism Market (WTM) Africa Awards in Cape Town.
In addition, the short film “There is Power in our Mountains” produced for the iconic Lesotho destination Semonkong Lodge, won Silver Awards in two categories for Most Compelling Tourism Story and Most Compelling Adventure Story.
About the WTM Africa Awards
Hosted in the City of Cape Town, the WTM Africa Awards are held each year to recognise excellence in the tourism industry. This year, nine categories were available for entry to be judged by a panel of industry experts and leaders. WTM Africa also hosts an annual Responsible Tourism Awards ceremony, which intends to “discover, recognise and promote good practice”.
According to WTM Africa’s criteria, the Most Compelling Agency Story category aims to shine the spotlight on an African marketing agency “that not only has an extensive portfolio of tourism campaigns but are also leaders in conceptualising and executing bespoke marketing strategies for their clients.”
Go for Gold: Most Compelling Agency Story
In this category, Love Africa highlighted several recent campaigns that shone the light on conservation work and tourism destinations in Africa. These included:
– Documenting Black Rhino range expansion through written storytelling, film production and photography with Babanango Game Reserve, Wildlife ACT, Conservation Outcomes, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) South Africa.
-Showcasing Lesotho-based destination, Semonkong Lodge’s unique offerings through photography and film. ‘There is Power in our Mountains’ – the short film produced by Love Africa – highlights paths that are only accessible by foot or horseback.
– Film production and photography for ‘Making CONTACT’ – a five-part mini-documentary series celebrating and profiling anti-poaching K9 units in South Africa’s nature reserves, produced for Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
Filming Credits:
Director/ Producer: Nicola Gerrard
Director of Photography and Editor: Sven Musica
Stills: Casey Pratt
“Marketing is more than a job to us. We give our all to this company because we truly believe in our partners and the work they are doing. We measure our success in impact and tangible change for the good of our environment and conservation spaces.
We wake up each day inspired by the work we are doing to promote Africa’s tourism industry, in bringing awareness to critically endangered wildlife in need of support and telling the stories of protected areas and the people who make them possible.” – Megan Whittington, Key Account Manager, Love Africa Marketing.
A Shared Success
For any marketing company to be a success, their partners must excel too. And such was the case for Love Africa with both our tourism and conservation partners’ entries receiving recognition at the WTM Africa Awards.
Semonkong Lodge’s, “There is Power in our Mountains”, a short Lesotho adventure film produced by Love Africa was awarded a silver award at the WTM Awards for ‘Most Compelling Tourism Story’ and ‘Most Compelling Adventure Story’.
“We really feel that this film showcases the exciting trekking adventures organised by Semonkong lodge together with our local Community. The response from the successful partnership with Love Africa Marketing, has helped us grow and develop our brand which believes in empowering individuals within our local Community, using our environment and its conservation as the focal point of all our activities, creating a long term sustainable income through tourism for as many people as possible in our community.” – Armelle and Jonno Halse, Semonkong Lodge owners.
Furthermore, Wildlife ACT was awarded gold for ‘Best Nature-Positive Tourism’ at the WTM Africa Responsible Tourism Awards on Tuesday 4 April 2023.
“We are delighted to be awarded gold in Best Nature-Positive Tourism. Our team works incredibly hard, rolling up their sleeves every day helping to save endangered and priority wildlife species. This award recognises our teams’ dedication, and validates Wildlife ACT’s unique sustainable tourism model which enables us to deliver important conservation outcomes. I could not be prouder.” – Johan Maree, Co-Founder of Wildlife ACT.
The Power of Strong Partnerships
The 2023 WTM Africa Awards highlighted the best that African tourism has to offer. Not only did it showcase excellence in campaigning, responsibility, and marketing; for Love Africa, it also emphasised the importance of strong partnerships and shared success.
At the core of Love Africa Marketing’s successful storytelling is partnerships. We are in a unique and fortunate space to be afforded the trust of renowned environmental and conservation NPOs, as well as exceptional tourism destinations to tell their stories. We are passionate about telling stories that make an impact and are determined to do right by our highly valued partners.
“We are honoured by this significant recognition by WTM Africa. A reflection of the hard work and dedication by a special Love Africa team, and of course our tourism and conservation partners making an impact on the ground everyday.” – Nicola Gerrard, Founder and Managing Director of Love Africa Marketing.
About Love Africa:
Love Africa is a marketing strategy and management company located in Durban, South Africa. From campaigning for endangered species conservation and highlighting the harrowing realities of the lion trade industry, to telling stories of hope and sharing the beauty of our continent; Love Africa specialises in delivering meaningful messages.