Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Siandou Fofana, led a high-level Ivorian delegation to China from May 26 to 28, 2026, to promote the country’s tourism potential through the “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” brand at ITB Shanghai 2026.

“It is with great pride and genuine enthusiasm that I am leading the Ivorian delegation to ITB China 2026,” Siandou Fofana said. According to him, “this participation reflects Côte d’Ivoire’s ambition to strengthen its position among Africa’s leading tourism and leisure destinations and to promote an innovative, sustainable and deeply people-centered tourism offering.”

Côte d’Ivoire’s participation in the three-day event was marked by two major highlights. First, a strategic meeting with VFS Global, coordinated by the Director General of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry (DG-ITH), Dr. Klo Fagama, and the Director of the Tourism and Leisure Office at the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in Beijing, Frédérique Ada-Kouassi. The discussions focused on facilitating visa procedures, promoting Côte d’Ivoire as a destination, and attracting investment.

Second, an investment panel led by Dr. Klo Fagama provided an opportunity to showcase investment prospects in hotel infrastructure, immersive leisure experiences, theme parks, and tourism-related public-private partnerships.

The Ivorian delegation, which included hospitality establishments such as N’Zi River Lodge, innovative companies such as WAKI CI, as well as leading organizations representing the tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors, highlighted the attractiveness of “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” in China.

Key outcomes of Côte d’Ivoire’s participation included:

• More than 150 investors, tour operators and potential partners engaged at the Ivorian stand and during B2B meetings;

• More than 70 targeted strategic meetings held with Chinese and Asian operators;

• Advanced discussions with several groups specializing in hotel infrastructure, immersive leisure experiences, theme parks and tourism public-private partnerships;

• Strong mobilization of both public and private Ivorian stakeholders around the “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” brand.

The 2026 edition of ITB Shanghai, which brought together more than 900 exhibitors from 85 countries, marks a major milestone in the international expansion of the “Sublime Côte d’Ivoire” brand, particularly within the Asian market.