The nation’s oldest travel organisation dedicated to US-Africa tourism since 1975 and long considered the top global organisation promoting tourism to Africa will very soon become an operating element under the Corporate Council on Africa.
The formal announcement will be made at the New York Times Travel Show today, January 8, 2016.
The President and Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Council on Africa (CCA),Stephen Hayes, who spoke on the issue, said, “The addition of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) to our portfolio of activities strengthens both the Africa Travel Association and the Corporate Council on Africa. Tourism is an essential ingredient in growing the economies of Africa. The potential for growth and investment in tourism in nearly every country in Africa is simply huge, regardless of the stage of development.”
According to Hayes, “Our background in working with major corporate players and investors who are looking for new opportunities in Africa is a perfect fit for the historical mission of the ATA for driving tourism growth on the African continent beyond its current global market share of three percent of international travel.”
The opportunity to combine the two organisations presented itself when long-time ATA Executive Director, Edward Bergman, disclosed that he would step down from his position at the end of 2015, following the successful ATA 40th Annual World Congress in Nairobi, Kenya in November 2015.
According to Bergman, “Finding a home for the Africa Travel Association at the Council provides an opportunity for the travel industry within Africa and between the United States and the countries of Africa to reach new heights.”
He continued, “The Corporate Council’s focus on investment and development matches the requirements of today and supplements ATA’s existing cultural and historic tourism endeavors throughout Africa. It was hard to imagine a better match for both organisations.”
CCA has been a leading advocate for US-Africa trade and investment since its founding in 1993 through a grant from then Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and the United States Agency for International Development.
In the past 23 years, the council has grown to incorporate one 180 corporations representing approximately 85 per cent of all US private investment in Africa.
CCA focuses on various sectors for investment including infrastructure, financing, health, energy, power and agribusiness.
ATA will operate in Washington, DC as a division of the Corporate Council.
