Africa Union and ATA Partner to Grow Africa Tourism

The Africa Travel Association (ATA) announced that it would partner with the Africa Union to promote travel and tourism to Africa. The announcement was made last week at the opening ceremony of ATA’s 35th Annual Congress in The Gambia that was attended by almost 400 dignitaries, delegates and guests. Part of the mission of the Africa Union is to promote socio-economic integration of the continent.

In a memorandum of understanding signed by Honorable Shamsa Mwangunga, ATA president and Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Dr. Elham M.A. Ibrahim, Africa Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, the two organizations committed to collaborate in the area of travel and tourism promotion.

The AU Commissioner praised the alliance, saying, “We have just concluded and signed an MOU that enables us to work closely together to advance Africa’s agenda in the development of its tourism resources. This cooperation is very important especially considering the fact that Africa has yet to put in place a continental body responsible for tourism matters.”

In the spirit of the MOU, the African Union Commission through its New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) program introduced a tourism action plan. The plan addressed a number of areas for possible cooperation, including marketing and promotion, research and development, promoting investment, mobilizing financial resources, and strengthening human resources.

The MOU provides an overall framework for collaboration in these areas, which are priorities for both the Africa Union and the Africa Travel Association.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) also participated in the Congress. Helder Tomas from the UNWTO Regional Program for Africa stressed the importance of the cooperation between the public and the private sectors for the development of tourism in Africa and the need for the sector to start speaking with one voice for the benefit of the industry.

During the industry plenary sessions and networking events, ATA and UNWTO engaged in discussions on how the two global organizations would pursue collaboration and cooperation in the areas of travel and tourism development in Africa in the future.

For more information, visit: www.africatravelassociation.org and www.africa-union.org.