Guinea Story 1. Land of Contrasts 2. Kindia, Mamou, 3. Labe, Mali Ville . 4. Slave Route.. 5. Summary: 6.Festival Success Story Air Routes Ballets Business Index Conakry Ecotourism Fashions History Hotels Map Photos Profile Showcase Tourism Tour Operators USA Trade , Profil de Guinée Commerce Electricité la Mode Ballets Africains Media-Francais Map Guinée Congrès				Guinea's Success Story. Vive la Difference! by Jerry W. Bird Starting with our27th International Congress Edition, Africa Travel Magazine became officially bilingual, extending its reach, influence and circulation worldwide. By publishing in French, ATA's position in some 30 Francophone countries in Africa is greatly enhanced, leading to new chapters, events and business partnerships. As an example; Cameroon, our 2001 host country; Guinea, our 2002 Congress host; and Morocco, host of ATA's 6th Ecotourism Symposium in December 2002; are all French speaking. We owe special thanks to the Republic of Guinea, represented with charm and dignity by the Hon. Sylla Hadja Koumba Diakite, Minister of Tourism, Hotels and Handicraft, who recently received a high honor from the World Tourism Organization (WTO), our partners and recent congress co-hosts. We enjoyed the privilege of meeting the Minister at previous events, and this friendship has paved the way for year-round media and trade show coverage following this event. ATA President, Hon. Zakia Hamdani Meghji, Minister of Tourism for The United Republic of Tanzania, echoed our sentiments, saying: " Without peace there can be no tourism. Recognizing this, the Africa Travel Association (ATA) has been in the forefront as a founding member of the IIPT Coalition of Partners and has provided IIPT with a showcase at its annual congresses and ecotourism symposia. Our participation as an organizer of this historic conference demonstrates ATA's strong commitment to fostering peace through community-based and sustainable tourism on the African Continent." The African Diaspora Heritage Trail is an exciting project that President Jennifer Smith and Tourism Minister, Hon. David Allen of Bermuda introduced at ATA's Cape Town Congress. Seizing the moment, our Board of Directors and Convocation of African Tourism Ministers endorsed the project, and are helping launch the first African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference, May 25-28 in Hamilton, Bermuda. Its goal is to identify, conserve and promote historic sites linked with the development and progress of people of African descent. Each time we meet and greet Dr. Beryl Dorsett of New York at an event, or on tour in a different African country, we learn about another great humanitarian project she is involved in. The last time we saw Beryl and friends from "The Africa Group" in action, they were providing eyeglasses for the people of Cameroon. On another occasion they supplied a team of oxen to an Ethiopian village. Mrs. Dorsett is a shining beacon of light in our world, and we are proud to know her. In a class all by herself is Elyse White (92) of Harlem, our "Mama Safari ,' who holds an ATA record, having attended every congress since 1975, when the association was launched. A highlight I remember well was the night she was 'enstooled' as an Ashante Queen at a ceremony held in Orlando, Florida, during the American Travel Market. We visit her and spend some quality time whenever we travel to the New York area. In this edition are two articles by ATA Executive Director Mira Berman. One reflects the current state of airline travel to Africa, and the other is a report on Africa's First IIPT Peace through Tourism Conference in Nelspruit, Mpmalanga Province, South Africa. Chairman of the ATA 27th International Congress is Enzio Rossi of Zambia. Born in Biella, Northern Italy in 1942, Mr. Rossi trained and worked in Italy, Switzerland and the British Isles before moving to Zambia in 1978. With a long career in the hotel and tourism industry, he is deeply committed to public service in the fields of health and education; to the Catholic church, and to the Italian community in Zambia. Rossi was appointed Cavaliere or "Knight of the Republic" by the President of Italy in 1994, and serves as Honorary Consul for Hungary. "Keep striving for service achievement," is his personal motto. Excitement's in the Air. Our feature "Air Highways to Africa," is a report on airline operations, international and regional routes, conferences, and airport development from now through 2020? It will feature an Air Highway "Supermap," showing the links between land, sea and air transportation. Since 1992 we've produced over 400,000 copies, and our Africa version is now in production. For a progress report visit www.africa-ata.org and www.airhighways.com.