The ongoing 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market (AFTM) 2026 at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, is providing a vibrant platform for tourism brands and cultural enterprises to showcase innovative experiences aimed at strengthening Africa’s position on the global tourism map.
Among the exhibitors attracting attention at the travel and tourism marketplace is The Oriki Experience, an initiative built around the themes of People, Culture and Impact, with a vision to celebrate African heritage while creating experiences capable of connecting the continent with global audiences.
Akwaaba 2026 is holding from September 13–15, 2026, bringing together travel and tourism professionals, destinations, airlines, hospitality businesses, investors and other industry stakeholders from Africa and beyond. The organisers describe the event as one of West Africa’s major international travel and tourism gatherings.
A Celebration of African Heritage
At its exhibition stand, The Oriki Experience presents itself as more than an event brand. Its message, “Africa, Remembered,” places African culture, storytelling and heritage at the centre of an ambitious long-term journey.
The initiative is inviting individuals, organisations and businesses to “be part of something bigger than a moment,” highlighting four major partnership benefits: being part of history, gaining powerful visibility, creating meaningful impact and gaining exclusive access to a community of visionaries, leaders and changemakers.
According to its exhibition materials, the experience seeks to support heritage, storytelling, skills and nation building, while providing partners with opportunities to reach audiences through experiences, media, events and digital platforms.
Building Towards a Record-Breaking Experience
A major attraction of The Oriki Experience is its planned journey towards a large-scale table experience and a potential Guinness World Records™ attempt.
The roadmap begins with ORIKI 100 on March 20, 2027, described as “The Rehearsal” — a first 100-metre table experience designed to test the journey.
This will be followed by ORIKI 200 on September 18, 2027, described as “The Countdown,” featuring a larger table, more voices and greater impact.
The initiative then targets Q4 2027 for what it calls “The Longest Table”, with the stated ambition of mounting a Guinness World Records™ attempt and creating what the organisers describe as a continental moment.
Beyond 2027, the vision is to move “Beyond Guinness World Records™”, with the goal of creating lasting legacies and continuing its cultural and social impact.
Partnership Opportunities
The Oriki Experience is also using Akwaaba 2026 to invite businesses, institutions and individuals to explore partnership opportunities.
The partnership categories displayed at the exhibition include:
Title Partnership | Official Partnership | Experience Partnership, And more
The initiative says prospective partners can align themselves with what it describes as “Africa’s boldest moment and global record impact,” while gaining visibility across experiences, media, events and digital platforms.
Culture as a Tourism Driver
The Oriki Experience’s presence at Akwaaba reinforces a growing conversation within Africa’s tourism industry about using culture, heritage and authentic experiences as drivers of tourism development.
Akwaaba itself is designed to connect tourism businesses, governments, investors and buyers while providing opportunities for networking, destination promotion and new business relationships. The 2026 edition features a broad programme that includes tourism summits, youth tourism, medical tourism, destination promotion, cultural activities and exhibitions.
For The Oriki Experience, the message is captured in its exhibition slogan:
“Culture Unites the World.”
Its participation at Akwaaba therefore goes beyond promoting an upcoming event. It presents a broader proposition: that African identity, heritage and storytelling can be transformed into memorable tourism experiences capable of attracting local and international audiences.
As Akwaaba 2026 continues at Eko Hotels & Suites, The Oriki Experience is positioning its forthcoming journey as one where Africa’s culture becomes the experience, the experience becomes the story, and the story becomes a legacy.
The 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market runs from September 13–15, 2026, at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos.
By Sam Opoku
