There were some two dozen suppliers at Goway’s annual Africa/Middle East event for travel agents on Monday. And they still didn’t scratch the surface of what the region has to offer for advisors and travellers.

Suppliers from Dubai to Durban and Morocco to Malawi gathered at a downtown Toronto hotel to deliver talks to a room packed with agents eager to learn more about a remarkable part of the world.

“I don’t think people understand the variety of experiences one can have in Africa,” said Goway Africa specialist Moira Smith. “People are constantly amazed at the diversity, and I’m always telling them that they simply can’t limit themselves to one trip to Africa.

“You can’t compare Kenya with South Africa,” Smith said. “And then there’s the remarkable history of Egypt and Morocco, and the incredible, age-old culture in Ethiopia.”

Smith said next year, Goway’s 50th anniversary, will mark the 10th season of Goway holding Africa seminars for agents. They also do regular webinars.

Goway employees who sell destinations around the world often do three-way calls with agents and clients to make sure everyone knows the variety of offerings, and knows what to expect.

“Africa is a pretty important destination for us,” she said. “It’s second only to the South Pacific, although Europe, which we launched only four years ago, is gaining quickly.”

Kenya tourism has been growing the past few years, and there’s a good deal of growth in the Middle East of late, including Egypt, Morocco and Dubai.

“We’re seeing more demand for solo travel and women’s travel in Dubai,” she said. “People want to see the new parts of Dubai but also the old city and the remarkable desert animals and desert parks.”

Agents at Monday night’s session were treated to a series of presentations and also met one-on-one with suppliers. They also were eligible for a series of travel prizes.

Among the presenters were Delta Airlines/KLM/Air France/Alitalia, the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in South Africa, Visit Jordan and Thompsons Africa.

Warren Green of Wild Horizons in Zimbabwe painted fantastic pictures of nighttime safaris, with soft-footed, swift-moving lionesses going after a pack of wary zebras under the light of the Milky Way.

Not only can a visit be a transformative travel experience, but tourism in Africa also is a big help for local economies and aids groups that are trying to save rhinos and elephants from needless slaughter.

Susie Iakovliev of Visit Rwanda tempted agents with wonderful stories about visiting gorillas in Rwanda, as well as visiting the capital city of Kigali.

Desert and Delta Safaris operates seven lodges in Botswana and one in Namibia. One of their properties is Chobe Game Lodge, where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton celebrated their second marriage.

Ivana Manera of Delta/Air France/KLM/Alitalia said Delta and its partners offer an unmatched global network, with plentiful options in servicing passengers to Africa from North America. Their WestJet codeshare connections also make it easier for Canadians to explore Africa and the Middle East.

Another great offering are train trips in Africa through Rovos Rail, which has eight itineraries on trains outfitted like a five-star, luxury hotel. The company also has the Shongololo Express Train, which features a more relaxed approach on three southern Africa itineraries.

Goway is celebrating its love of Africa with an East Africa Odyssey Super Special. Customers can save $850 CAD per person on a 14-day, small group safari if booked by Oct. 31 of this year.

Goway has more than 49 years of experience handcrafting trips to the world’s best travel destinations, including 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East. Catalogue offerings range from three-day trips to Victoria Falls to amazing, 30-day “Cape to Cairo” journeys, which includes stops in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and more. Among other activities, participants in the Cape to Cairo journey will travel on the most luxurious train in the world, visit Victoria Falls, witness great animal migrations from a hot air balloon, experience unique African cultures and take a life-changing gorilla trek.