epBud launches new digital platform for sub-Saharan Africa’s tourism professionals
The RepBud platform has launched as a new digital tool for the tourism industry, aiming to help travel agencies, tour operators and corporate travel managers across sub-Saharan Africa. Since its introduction last month, more than 150 members of the travel trade have joined, with over 450 industry connections and 300 messages exchanged. The platform was developed by Graeme Watson of Kusa Connect, who represents southern and East African tourism products in the United Kingdom. RepBud is designed to support the unique needs of the travel trade, especially for smaller businesses that require efficient record-keeping and collaboration.
RepBud offers a range of features to make daily work easier for tourism professionals. Users can capture notes by typing, speaking, or photographing handwritten pages, and can forward emails or WhatsApp threads directly to the app. The system uses technology to suggest contacts and topics, waiting for user approval before saving records. This helps answer key questions before meetings, such as what was agreed last time and what tasks remain. The platform also generates reports from the user’s own history, making it easier to prepare monthly or quarterly updates for clients or management.
Beyond basic customer relationship management, RepBud includes accounting tools, email campaigns, forms, large-file transfer, video meetings and webinars under a single login. There is a free tier that remains free, with ZAR pricing for South African members. The app is available for both iPhone and Android devices. Some features, such as the trade events directory, visa and entry-requirements tool, and email signature generator, are free to anyone in the trade. Free memberships are also available for travel agents, tour operators and travel media.
The platform’s network, RepBud Connect, is open to all members on any plan and does not require a credit card. It brings together reps, travel agents, tour operators, DMCs, ground handlers, PR, media, event organisers and properties seeking representation. Members can search for contacts by name, company, or destination, and use features like Who’s Nearby to see which colleagues are at the same trade show or city. The RepBud Ready tool matches properties and tourism boards with representatives whose markets overlap. All connections and messages are available on both the web and the app.
It is not yet clear how quickly RepBud will expand across the whole sub-Saharan Africa region or how many local suppliers will join in the coming months. There are also open questions about integration with existing booking systems and whether the platform will add more region-specific features. However, the launch of RepBud may help smaller African tourism businesses improve their record-keeping and client follow-up, supporting growth and competitiveness in the sector.
Sources: Editor-provided material, November 2026; firstorted by Editor.
