Africa Travel Association (ATA) is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

international travel industry

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. An industry tra ...

established in 1975. ATA defines its mission as to "promote travel, tourism and transport to and within

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and to strengthen intra-Africa partnerships." ATA serves both the public and private sectors of the international travel and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

industry. ATA membership comprises African governments, their tourism ministers, tourism bureaus and boards, airlines, cruise lines, hotels, resorts, front-line travel sellers and providers, tour operators and travel agents, media and affiliate members. ATA partners with the

African Union Commission The Commission of the African Union acts as the executive/administrative branch or secretariat of the African Union (and is somewhat analogous to the European Commission). It consists of a number of Commissioners dealing with different areas of ...

(AUC) to promote the sustainable development of tourism to and across Africa. ATA's annual events in Africa and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

bring together industry leaders to shape Africa's tourism agenda.

Structure

ATA is registered as a

501(c)6 A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes. S ...

non-profit trade association in the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, with its headquarters in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

and chapters around the world. ATA is overseen by an international

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

and managed daily by an

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

and management team.

Objectives

*Advocate for Africa as a leading global travel destination *Raise awareness of Africa as a destination with rich and diverse tourism opportunities and products *Promote positive news on Africa *Develop and promote travel programs to and across Africa *Assist country and

private sector The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

members with

marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...

*Serve as a liaison on tourism matters in Africa between member countries *Present opportunities for members to market and showcase their products and services *Offer members

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...

, training and learning opportunities *Help members increase business through exposure, networking and referrals *Organize events where tourism stakeholders meet to discuss issues of common interest and concern *Conduct research with partner organizations on tourism matters in Africa

Events

The Presidential Forum

ATA's Annual Presidential Forums on Tourism, which are hosted by

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

's Africa House, take place in New York every September in parallel with the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...

meetings. This one-day event offers Africa's leaders an important opportunity to speak about how travel and tourism contributes to a country's economy and development. Ten African leaders from the

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

and the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

addressed the 2010 forum.

The US-Africa Tourism Seminar

ATA's leading industry event in the USA takes place in conjunction with a leading travel

trade show A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

, attracting tourism industry professionals and diplomatic representatives eager to learn about possible policy choices related to tourism in Africa. Participants also explore key growth trends that have helped African tourism grow steadily in recent years and help connect to other companies to develop strategic business partnerships.

Promotional road shows

ATA increases the visibility of Africa as a destination in the North American marketplace by showcasing the destination and its private sector partners' products in largely untapped metropolitan marketplaces like

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

as well as in major cities like New York,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. ATA also participates in global industry travel trade shows in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The Eco and Cultural Tourism Symposium

Tourism professionals specializing in

sustainable tourism Sustainable tourism is a concept that covers the complete tourism experience, including concern for economic, social and environmental issues as well as attention to improving tourists' experiences and addressing the needs of host communities. Su ...

, art, culture, heritage travel, responsible tourism,

green travel Sustainable transport refers to ways of transportation that are sustainability, sustainable in terms of their social and Environmental issue, environmental impacts. Components for evaluating sustainability include the particular vehicles used ...

, and

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

come together to explore Africa's emerging eco and

cultural tourism Cultural tourism is a type of tourism activity in which the visitor's essential motivation is to learn, discover, experience and consume the tangible and intangible cultural attractions/products in a tourism destination. These attractions/produ ...

industries. Countries hosting symposiums share their travel products with delegates through on-site field visits and case studies. Past symposium: 2007/8: Djibouti City, Djibouti, 2006: Calabar, Nigeria, 2005: Luanda Angola, 2004: Kampala, Uganda, 2003: Zanzibar, Tanzania, 2002: Fez, Morocco, 2001: Yaoundé, Cameroon, 2000: Abuja, Nigeria, 1996: Marrakech, Morocco, 1994: Cape Town, South Africa, 1992: Saly/Dakar, Senegal.

Annual World Congress

ATA's signature event in Africa provides a networking, learning and agenda-shaping platform for 300-500 travel professionals from around the world. The event addresses timely industry topics and offers

professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning Informal learning is characterized "by a low degree of planning and ...

opportunities. Delegates also participate in roundtables for tourism ministers, an African

Bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

for buyers and sellers, networking events, host country day(s), gala dinners and pre- and post-country tours. Rwanda will host ATA’s 41st Annual World Congress in Spring 2017.

Initiatives

The Young Professionals Program

The mission of the Africa Travel Association’s Young Professionals Program (YPP) is to engage tourism and

hospitality Hospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, wherein the host receives the guest with some amount of goodwill, including the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Louis de Jaucourt, Louis, chevalier de J ...

students and young industry professionals in Africa’s tourism industry and to cultivate future ATA membership. To achieve this mission, YPP offers two programs that serve young people at different points in their education and professional development: (1) The ATA Student Union; and, (2) the ATA Young Professionals Network. Through these two programs, YPP aims to help future industry leaders gain access to tourism professionals focusing on Africa in order to help them build the relationships and networks now that will serve the industry and ATA later. By encouraging the exchange of knowledge, ideas and interests and by providing opportunities for training and travel to Destination Africa, YPP also connects a new generation to ATA and its members who are accomplished tourism professionals.

Africa diaspora

Africa diaspora is a critical resource for tourism promotion and investment. To encourage the participation in the industry, ATA has launched the ATA African Diaspora Initiative with the goal of engaging African diaspora leaders, entrepreneurs and media in tourism promotion to Africa.

Strategic partnership with the African Union Commission

In May 2010, the

(AUC) and the Africa Travel Association (ATA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding supporting the "promotion of the sustainable development of tourism in Africa". The MoU was signed with the understanding that major regions of the world have established effective regional tourism bodies, like the

Pacific Asia Travel Association The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a membership association working to promote the responsible development of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region. History As William J. Mullahey of Pan American Airways set about organizing th ...

(PATA) and the

Caribbean Tourism Organization The Caribbean Tourism Organizations main objective is the development of sustainable tourism for the economic and social benefit of Caribbean people. Operations The CTO, with headquarters in Barbados, is the Caribbean’s tourism development age ...

(CTO) and that "Africa has yet to formally adopt as a continent an organization as such to service its tourism marketing, research and advocacy".

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://africatravelassociation.org Tourism agencies Tourism in Africa Business organizations based in Africa