I Am Tourism Stories
I Am Tourism Stories is a podcast that spotlights the people shaping tourism across Africa. It features raw, honest conversations with travel trailblazers, everyday heroes, and curious minds, from newcomers to seasoned visionaries. The series grew out of a pandemic-born movement and focuses on the heart and soul of tourism: the humans behind hospitality. It explores how tourism is about people, not just destinations.
Episodes
The Most Trafficked Animal on Earth Is Looking for a Home. Could Yours Be Next?
The pangolin is the world's most trafficked mammal. It is covered in scales, armed with a tongue half the length of its body, and capable of forming a ball so impenetrable that lions give up. It makes no sound. It asks for nothing. And it is vanishing.In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, Toby Jermyn — co-founder of Pangolin Africa and founder of Pangolin Photo Safaris — tells us everything
The Queen of TikTok Tourism Marketing
In this episode of I Am Tourism we sit down with one of the sharpest minds in digital storytelling — and while no one officially crowned her, this conversation proves why Nidha Narrandes might just be the Queen of TikTok when it comes to tourism.
He’s Saving Lions — By Rethinking the Beef Served in Camp
In this episode of I Am Tourism, we sit down with Vincent “Vince” Shacks — environmental scientist turned Group Head of Impact at Wilderness.Vince didn’t begin in hospitality. He began in the bush, studying Nile crocodiles in Botswana. Today, he’s helping steer one of Africa’s most iconic safari brands toward something bigger than sustainability: measurable impact.
She Lost Her Husband. Now She Hosts Healing Retreats in the Wild.
In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Big Ambitions sits down with Tinolla Rodgers, Owner and Managing Director of African Monarch Journeys, for a conversation that moves far beyond safari logistics and occupancy rates.
The Man Behind Victoria Falls’ Most Iconic Cultural Experience
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, we sit down with Ross Kennedy, the man behind one of Victoria Falls’ most enduring and in demand cultural experiences, The Boma Dinner and Drum Show. With over 80,000 guests hosted in 2025 alone, The Boma is more than a dinner show. It is a case study in how to evolve, listen and lead over three decades in one of Africa’s most competitive destinations.
She Wanted to Drive Tanks. Now She Drives One of Africa's Biggest Tourism Trade Events.
With WTM Africa around the corner, there's no better time to hear from the woman who's been at the centre of it all.In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, Carol Weaving, Managing Director of RX Africa and the driving force behind WTM Africa, shares her journey from arriving in South Africa on a one-way ticket in 1987 to building some of the continent's most important tourism trade pl
South Africa Is Losing Its Grip on Youth Travel — Khotso Micha Has Something to Say About That
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, Khotso Micha shares how a rugby-playing journalism student became one of South Africa’s most thoughtful voices in youth tourism. Starting out at Coffee Shack on the Wild Coast, his path took him from national guiding to founding Southern Xplorer Tours, and most recently, opening Kamma Kai Beach Villa in Sedgefield.
What a Spa Founder Can Teach Us About Making It in Tourism
In this feel-good episode of I Am Tourism Stories, host Natalia Rosa chats with Noli Mini, wellness entrepreneur and Chairperson of Women in Tourism Western Cape, about building a business in one of the most competitive corners of tourism: the spa and wellness space.
He’s Building Schools Out of Tyres and Tourism Is Funding It
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, host Natalia Rosa sits down with James Fernie, the founder of Uthando (Love)South Africa, to explore what it really means for tourism to have purpose.
She Arrived on a One-Way Ticket from Colombia — Now She’s Leading the Charge for Local Storytellers in Tourism
In this episode of I Am Tourism, Angelica Muñoz Cordoba — a Colombian lawyer turned South African tour operator — shares what it's taken to build a life and business from scratch in a country that wasn’t her own.
What 17,000 Trained Guides Taught Anton Lategan About the Future of Tourism
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, Anton Lategan, founder of EcoTraining, shares some of the most powerful lessons learned from almost 30 years in conservation tourism.
What Leonardo DiCaprio taught Ron Mackenzie about tourism
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, host Natalia Rosa speaks with Ron Mackenzie, entrepreneur, connector, and founder of Small Town South Africa. What began as a simple Facebook group has grown into a powerful movement shining a spotlight on South Africa’s rural heartlands. From pitching a safari to Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of Blood Diamond to building a nationwide platform, Ron shares ho
Big Cats, Better Tourism And Why Panthera Africa Needs Us Now
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, we chat with Cathrine Nyquist, co-founder of Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary- a leading voice in ethical wildlife tourism. Born from a personal journey that exposed the reality behind animal interaction, Panthera Africa proves that big cat tourism can be both responsible and impactful.
How Bossie Bosman is Turning Hole in the Wall into South Africa’s Next Icon
In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Natalia Rosa speaks with Bossie Bosman, the driving force behind an ambitious plan to transform the Wild Coast’s legendary Hole in the Wall into a world class tourism destination.
The Food Scientist Changing the Way Tourists Experience Their Morning Brew
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, host Natalia Rosa sits down with Buhle Magwentshu, founder of Asmara Coffee, a Johannesburg-based artisanal micro-roastery with a mission to bring quality, crafted coffee into the heart of South African hospitality.
She Left TV Fame to Save Seychelles from Mass Tourism
Guest: Bernadette Willemin – Director General, Marketing, Tourism Seychelles Host: Lori Cohen – Content Lead, Big Ambitions In this episode of_I Am Tourism, host Lori Cohen sits down with Bernadette Willemin, Director General of Marketing at Tourism Seychelles, whose remarkable journey from radio and television presenter to global tourism advocate proves that storytelling can shape an entire natio
From Taxi Driver to Tourism Powerhouse: Mo Baba’s Story
Guest: Mohamed “Mo” Baba – Founder, Aurum Africa Host: Lori Cohen – Content Lead at Big Ambitions In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Lori Cohen speaks with industry veteran turned visionary entrepreneur Mohamed “Mo” Baba, Founder of Aurum Africa, about his extraordinary 30-year career in tourism — one that started behind the wheel of a minibus taxi during South Africa’s 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Would You Sleep in a Stranger’s Village Hut?
Guest: Cameron Murray – Co-Founder, TAHS-SA (Traditional African Homestays South Africa) Host: Melissa Foley – All About Africa Sustainability Consulting In this episode of I Am Tourism, Melissa Foley sits down with Cameron Murray, co-founder of TAHS-SA (Traditional African Homestays South Africa) — a pioneering initiative that connects travellers with rural communities through authentic, respectf
How Maria Malepa Turned a Dump Site into a Destination
Guest: Maria Malepa – Manager, Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers Host: Melissa Foley – All About Africa Sustainability Consulting In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Melissa Foley speaks with Maria Malepa, Manager of the award-winning Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers, one of South Africa’s most respected community-based tourism experiences. What began more than 20 years ago with her late husband Lebo selling c
How Yasmine Kazadi Is Flipping the Script on Sustainable Events
Guest: Yasmine Kazadi – Founder & Director, Mercatique Consulting Host: Melissa Foley – All About Africa Sustainability Consulting In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Melissa Foley is joined by powerhouse entrepreneur Yasmine Kazadi, Founder & Director of Mercatique Consulting, who is shaking up how tourism businesses approach events - from trade shows to corporate gifting - with a susta
The Woman Who Certifies Africa's Most Ethical Tourism
Guest: Grace Stead – General Manager, Fair Trade Tourism Host: Melissa Foley – All About Africa Sustainability Consulting In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Melissa Foley chats to Grace Stead on why sustainability certification isn't just nice-to-have anymore… it's do-or-die. Forget vague ESG buzzwords - Grace breaks down how Fair Trade Tourism turns ethical practices into cold-hard bus
Angola's Secret Is Finally Out
Guest: Orlando Pinto – Founder, Secret Angola DMC Host: Melissa Foley – All About Africa Sustainability Consulting In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Melissa Foley speaks with Orlando Pinto, founder of Secret Angola DMC, about the dramatic transformation happening in one of Africa's least-explored tourism destinations.
She Cleaned Hotel Rooms. Now Advises Presidents
Guest: Gillian Saunders – Africa Tourism Adviser, Tony Blair Institute Host: Natalia Rosa – CEO of Big Ambitions & Founder of I Am Tourism In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Natalia Rosa sits down with Gillian Saunders, Africa Tourism Adviser to the Tony Blair Institute, for a conversation that travels from five-star hotels in Munich to community conservancies across the continent.
The Fashion Entrepreneur Changing How We Think About Luxury in Tourism
I Am Tourism Stories PodcastGuest: Mapholo Ratau – Founder & Managing Director of Ledikana Fashions Host: Melissa Foley – All About Africa Sustainability Consulting In this episode of I Am Tourism, host Melissa Foley speaks with Mapholo Ratau, founder of Ledikana Fashions — a proudly South African brand designing ethically made fashion, uniforms, and corporate gifts using culturally rich print
Neurodiversity in Tourism: What We’re Missing – And Why It Matters
In this episode of I Am Tourism Stories, host Natalia Rosa speaks with Adrian Lange, founder of Tourism That Cares, about why empathy must be more than a buzzword in African travel. Drawing on decades in the field - and his personal experience as a father to a neurodiverse daughter - Adrian shares how listening differently can radically change how we design for both guests and staff.
I Am Tourism Stories - Trailer
Guest: Natalia Rosa – CEO of Big Ambitions & Founder of I Am Tourism StoriesHost: Paul de Waal – Founder & CEO at WETU Trailer of I Am Tourism Stories, host Paul de Waal speaks with campaign founder Natalia Rosa about why now is the time to reignite conversations that matter in African tourism.
