During the 1st WiTH Africa Community Gathering, we had the presence of 16 professors and researchers from different African and European universities, and it was truly rewarding to have counted on their active participation and valuable contributions during the session. Carvão, from UNWTO, shared relevant insights about the pressing issue of data unavailability, linked to the challenges of cost and skills development. The discussions sparked relevant insights into the challenges in tourism data & research in Africa.