Making Sense and Cents of Sustainability: Building Sustainable Tourism Brands
2025 marks the 10th anniversary of Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit.
The 10th edition of the Sustainable Tourism Africa Summit (STAS) was held on 8–9 May 2025 at the Diamonds Leisure and Golf Resort, Diani, bringing together policymakers, private sector leaders, academia, civil society, and youth from across the continent and beyond. Themed “Making Sense and Cents of Sustainability: Building Sustainable Brands,” the Summit provided a platform for dialogue, learning, and collaboration on advancing sustainable tourism practices in Africa.
Day One focused on “Revisiting the Foundations of Sustainable Tourism”, with deliberations centred on institutional frameworks, strategic collaboration, and the evolving role of data in shaping sustainable destinations. The County Government of Kwale opened the day with a presentation on advancing inclusive and sustainable tourism development, setting the tone for conversations on regional cooperation and destination positioning.
Sessions such as the Destination Diani Forum: Discover Kwale, and the panel on Collaborating for Destination Competitiveness provided practical insights into place-based strategies for enhancing regional tourism. The keynote presentation “From Guesswork to Game Changer” highlighted the role of data in building trust and measuring sustainability outcomes. Workshops and case studies explored tools for impactful sustainability reporting, strategies for attracting conscious travellers and the Global Black Diaspora, and the shift from generic best practices to locally valuable and replicable models.
Day Two moved into the theme of “Implementing and Innovating”, with emphasis on climate action, tourism models, and community-based innovation. A keynote on Co-creating Regenerative Futures with Communities underscored the need for participatory and inclusive approaches to tourism development. Strategic storytelling was presented as a tool for advocacy and market transformation, while sessions on traveller philanthropy called for a shift from ad hoc giving to more system-aware and embedded models of social investment.
Youth participation featured prominently, with a session on designing youth-centred tourism ecosystems that empower young people as changemakers. The day also addressed impact investment and public policy innovation as levers for accelerating sustainability across the tourism value chain. A critical session on The Climate Challenge guided participants on the development of tourism-specific climate action strategies, aligned with global and national climate commitments.
The Summit concluded with a reaffirmation of the sector’s responsibility to embed sustainability as a core business imperative, and a call for cross-sector collaboration to drive meaningful transformation. Through shared experiences, technical insights, and policy dialogues, the 10th STAS strengthened its position as a continental platform for advancing resilient, inclusive, and climate-responsive tourism in Africa.
Read the full event report here
For inquiries on payment contact stas@sttakenya.org or call +254798475154
I would like to speak about the value of ‘sustainability as an industry’- helping create employment throughout the sector and how tourism properties have a responsibility to the future generations.
Hello. Our call for speakers closed yesterday but email stas@sttakenya.org with your details and we’ll get back to you