Millet Group has secured South Africa as the host of the Skift Megatrends event for the first time on African soil, a major strategic win for the country’s tourism and hospitality sector.
The partnership will see the global launch of Skift's Africa MegaTrends 2026 at sunrise on Table Mountain on January 27, 2026, providing industry leaders with exclusive, timely access to the world's most influential travel intelligence report.
Skift MegaTrends is widely regarded as the annual compass for the global travel industry, shaping strategies for airlines, hotel groups, tourism boards, investors, technology companies, and policymakers. The 2026 edition analyzes the forces that will define travel behaviour, market performance and investment flows in the coming year. This includes the economic and social mega shifts impacting consumer expectations, the next phase of AI adoption in travel, the redesign of destination strategies and the structural changes reshaping hospitality and aviation around the world.
Millat Group played a decisive role in securing the event for Africa, establishing South Africa as a global platform for new ideas, investment conversations and executive-level tourism leadership. This partnership is in line with Millat's strategy to increase Africa's visibility in global tourism and connect the continent to the most advanced insights and trends shaping the international market.
Hamza Farooqui, Founder and CEO of Millat Group, said the partnership is a milestone for the continent.
“Milat is proud to bring Skift MegaTrends to Africa for the first time. This is more than a launch event. It's a statement that Africa belongs at the table where global tourism strategy is shaped. The findings from this report guide the decisions of the world's leading travel companies, and now those insights will be delivered on our soil, in our time zone, with African leaders in the room. We want the continent to have direct access to intelligence that drives investment, innovation and opportunity. MILAT is committed to building an African tourism sector that is competitive, globally connected and ready for growth.”
Skift's report provides deep value to the African market at a critical moment. As global travel demand recovers and competitive pressures increase, tourism boards and private operators need high-quality data to understand changing traveler behaviour, the rise of experiential travel programs, new digital booking patterns, supply chain disruptions and the emerging economics of hotel development.
For African destinations, this intelligence helps refine marketing strategies, identify growth corridors, reconnect long-distance markets and strengthen local investment pitches.
Rafat Ali, CEO and founder of Skift, said the setting is symbolic.
“The launch of Megatrends 2026 in South Africa reflects the energy, ambition and leadership we see coming out of the continent. Milat Group has played a key role in making this possible, and we look forward to highlighting the key themes of the year ahead with our partners and stakeholders.”
The sunrise launch atop Table Mountain will be attended by over 100 senior decision makers from Africa's travel, hospitality and technology sectors. Skift's editorial and research leaders will present the 2026 Megatrends findings, followed by a discussion of how the trends apply specifically to Africa's tourism growth path to 2026 and beyond.
