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BEHIND
THE
SCENES:
AN INTERVIEW WITH
OUR EDITOR
Editor
Jerry W. Bird has been interviewing
business leaders in print and on air for
decades.” This time the tables are
turned - as he express his thoughts and
goals in the following interview. A
similar session was hosted by Sandy
Dhuyvetter of TravelTalk
Radio of
San Francisco - a d solid supporter of
Africa Travel Magazine.
Brief
Biography
What
did you do prior to becoming a magazine
publisher?
Jerry:
In 1989, after a career as an audio visual
producer, advertising agency professional
and seminar leader, I joined a national
travel magazine. I had been writing for
magazines based in Seattle, Montreal and
Western Canada at the time, and had
produced videos and broadcast features for
the Canadian Government and many corporate
clients. My first project for the travel
magazine was a special issue on Israel,
working with Yehuda Shen, Director of the
Israel Tourist Office in New York and an
agent in Jerusalem. Flushed with success,
I looked for other areas of
interest.
What
were your aims at the time?
Jerry:
I firmly believe that the best magazines
are keepers, like National Geographic and
Readers Digest, which become collector's
items. So, I coined the expression
“it's a keeper” for my pet
projects and looked for areas where other
media were paying scant attention. It
became obvious that little space in most
magazines was paid to train travel.
Seizing the moment, I made contact with as
many continental and short line rail
companies as I could locate. The result
was "Railways of the World," one of the
longest running, most successful editions
in the magazine's history and highly
profitable in terms of advertising
support.
Do
you have a special fascination with
various modes of travel?
Jerry:
I write about railways in every country we
visit. The most recent was this spring in
France, Germany, Egypt and Morocco.
Another early success was a feature we
called Airlines of the World. Having flown
with bush pilots in the Yukon, prior to
joining the Royal Canadian Air Force,
aviation was in my blood. We developed and
printed several hundred thousand maps of
roads, rail, sea and air routes for Best
Western Hotels and Avis Rent a Car - and
created a distribution network through
Transport Canada and its 35 airport
managers. With this structure in place, we
then launched a successful Air and Marine
Tourism Expo, which is the foundation for
a repeat performance at an African
location.
Did
you discover Africa - or did Africa
discover you?
Jerry:
It came as a big surprise, when our editor
who just returned from Kenya, recommended
me to Mira Berman, Executive Director and
Karen Hoffman, Public Relations Director
of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) in
New York. They wanted a trade magazine to
promote interest in travel to Africa as a
counterbalance to conventional media. I
agreed and opened a Vancouver office in
August of 1995 . Gary Chaloner, one of
Western Canada's top advertising sales
executives, joined me to launch two
magazines - Air Highways, the Journal of
Open Skies - and Africa Travel Magazine,
the voice of ATA.
 What
did you know about Africa?
Jerry:
Very little at the time. Only what I had
gleaned from reading stories about South
Africa and the Boer War - or what was
served up by the news media, who seldom
accentuate the positive. A lover of
African - inspired music, whether it be
calypso, blues, soul or rock, I was
fortunate to know many African American
entertainers, such as Ray Carroll of the
Platters and Bill Kenney of the Ink spots.
While serving in Public Relations and
Marketing with a hotel group client, I
worked closely with entertainers of
African heritage. Let's say I was ripe for
a challenge.
How
did you get started with the Africa Travel
Association?
Jerry:
Having studied the background of ATA and
its worthy goals, I took on the
responsibility of building a Canadian
chapter. Our first effort was Africa Night
at a downtown university campus to
introduce a group of visitors from Ghana
Tourism. It was a great success and was
repeated for 30 Safari operators from
Kenya, led by Peter Muiruri, a friend and
founder of ATA. The first magazine we
printed was for ATA's 21st Annual Congress
in Windhoek, Namibia in
1996.
How
did you get your material for various
magazine issues?
Jerry:
Fortunately for me, Karen Hoffman of the
Bradford Group in New York, who had been
active in Africa for many years, became
our Associate Editor. She provided most of
our first articles. Others were written by
ATA members from the USA and Africa.
However, when my friend Gary Chaloner
passed away suddenly, Muguette Goufrani
became active in the magazine's operation.
Her knowledge of French was a definite
asset.
The
fact that she was born in Casablanca,
Morocco, from a family active in tourism
added another dimension. Muguette knows
Africa well, having worked as an airline,
automotive and travel agent in Morocco,
Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon and Algeria. Her
assignments began in 1996 covering the ATA
3rd Ecotourism Symposium in Marrakech,
followed by two weeks in Haiti, a
prominent country in the African
Diaspora.
When
did you first visit Africa?
Jerry:
My big moment came in May, 1997 when
Muguette, myself and Karen Hoffman brought
the full force of Africa Travel Magazine
to the ATA 22 Annual Congress in Cotonou,
Benin. Enroute we had an overnight stay in
Dakar, Senegal, courtesy of Air Afrique.
That was my first taste of African culture
and hospitality on the continent.
What
were some of your first
impressions?
Jerry:
We went directly from Cotonou Airport to
the Benin Sheraton Hotel's outdoor patio,
where a welcoming party was going strong.
Wow! It really blew me away, with the
wild, whirling Dervish-type tribal dances,
continuous drumbeats - and people coming
from all corners, most of whom already
knew who we were from reading the
magazine.
Later
in the week at the gala dinners, I was
overwhelmed by the splashes of color and
outstanding design of African clothing,
from turbans, kangas, bangles and beads to
Ali Baba slippers. This initial impression
has carried on in our magazine today - as
we continue to Google #1 for
African
Fashions and
Designers.
What
do you remember most from that visit?
We
had an unforgettable experience getting to
know Benin as well as our colleagues in
the Africa Travel Association, including
the late Eunice Rawlings and Ellen Posell
of California, Theo Abediaye of Top Tours
in Cotonou and Fred Fuller of Ohio, plus
Elyse White of Harlem, who lived well into
her 90s. I will always remember Elyse at
the voodoo forest and Theo during our
visit Ganvie, a village on stilts, in the
middle of the delta, reachable only by
pirogue. Most recently we were saddened by
the loss of Ambassador Daudi Mwakawago of
Tanzania. Those stalwarts will always
shine brightly in our
memories.
What
else happened?
Jerry:
Following the ATA Congress in Benin,
Muguette Goufrani suggested we fly to Cote
d'Ivoire to visit tour operator Therese
Haury, hotelier Roger Kacou and other
friends from the years she and her Mother
Suzanne were employed by Citroen
Automobiles and the United States Embassy
respectively.
The
highlight of that week was our stay on the
beach as a gift of Mr. Gakpo, the
Lobster
Man of Abidjan,
plus an educational, inspirational journey
to Yamoussoukro, home of Africa's grand
Roman Catholic Basilica. I must admit,
those first precious weeks in Africa whet
my appetite for many more visits to
come.
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What
African destinations have you visited
since you launched the
magazine?
Jerry:
In terms of the ATA Annual Congress,
starting at the most recent: Cairo, Egypt,
Arusha, Tanzania, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia,
Accra, Ghana, Nairobi, Kenya, Douala,
Cameroon, Lusaka and Livingstone, Zambia,
Conakry, Guinea, Cape Town, South Africa,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Accra, Ghana,
Arusha, Tanzania, Cotonou, Benin. In terms
of the ATA Ecotourism Symposium, starting
at the most recent: Djibouti City,
Djibouti, Calabar, Nigeria, Luanda,
Angola, Kampala, Uganda, Zanzibar,
Tanzania, Fez, Morocco, Yaounde, Cameroon,
Marrakech, Morocco. We have since returned
to several countries by special invitation
of tourism ministries and carriers. Our
travels also brought us to Johannesburg,
Pretoria, Dar es Salaam, Abuja, Rabat and
other African cities.
What
have you done personally to promote Africa
Tourism?
Jerry:
We believe face to face marketing at
meetings and conferences is the ideal way
to introduce a travel magazine. In
addition to seminars. road shows and
events we stage on behalf of my ATA
Chapter, our editors take every
opportunity to personally cover major
travel shows in the USA, Canada and
Europe, as far as our travel budget will
allow.
Our
offices provide magazines in bulk at no
charge for ATA and African Tourism
Ministries exhibits at any events we
cannot attend. To read about the success
of these marketing opportunities in New
York, Las Vegas, Houston, Vancouver and
Whistler, BC, Calgary, Alberta, Berlin,
Paris and many African cities, download a
copy of our Venues World Edition from
http://www.africa-ata.org/venues.pdf
What
is your company's purpose and
function?
Jerry:
In addition to producing global magazines
and learning resources, we represent
African Business targeting North America.
We are pleased to support African
exhibitors on location at travel trade
shows and conferences. Decades of
experience and a successful record as
publishers, trade show managers, audio
visual producers and public relations
professionals.
Our
credentials include ATA Founders
Award, TTB Annual Awards, U.S. Creative
Excellence Awards. Our website is #1
on Google and Yahoo for travel, trade and
tourism marketing and other Africa
topics.
Who
are some of your magazine's
advertisers?
Jerry:
A major client group is Airlines and
Transportation, which includes South
African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Ghana
Airways, Kenya Airways, Royal Air Maroc,
Gabon Airlines, Mauritius Airlines,
Brussels Airlines, TAP Portugal Airlines,
Daalo Airlines, North American Airlines,
Trans Nation Airways, Mombassa Air
Services, Rovos Rail of South
Africa.
Another
is Hotels and Resorts, including Sheraton
Addis, InterContinental, Moevenpick,
Meridien, Corinthian, Kempinski, Serena
Hotels, Nairobi Safari Club Hotel, Sunset
Hotels, Caesar's Johannesburg, RAS Hotels,
Axum Hotels, Ghion Hotels, Nyali
Beach Resort, Manta Reef Resort, Comfort
Inns, New Stanley Hotel, Hilton Hotels,
Kijani House, Golden Tulip Hotels, Riads
of Morocco, TV5 Hotels
Group.
Do
African countries support your media?
Jerry:
African Tourism Ministries and Boards are
our key partners. As ATA Host
Countries, Angola, Benin, Cameroon.
Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea,
Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, South
Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda
and Zambia appear regularly in print
and online.
What
other advertisers?
Jerry:
We deal with a wide range of travel
services, from national parks and
conglomerates, such as Midroc
Technology Group and Coca Cola, to tour
operators, travel agencies and auto
rental. Other advertisers include banks
and financial institutions, universities
and training schools, shipping companies
and couriers. We generate results for them
through active participation in major
events plus global reach and
influence.
Does
Africa Travel Magazine appear only in
print?
Jerry:
Thanks to the Internet, our magazine is
multidimensional and reminds me of my
exciting years in audio visual and radio
tv production. Several projects won awards
for creative excellence in the USA. Our
website allows us great flexibility along
with global reach and influence. We also
work closely with Sandy Dhuyvetter and her
team from TravelTalk Radio in San
Francisco. They cover the whole wide world
and have a great affinity for Africa.
Mister Africa, Ogo Sow, who broadcasts
from Atlanta, Ga. interviews me regularly
and invites me to be his co-host. We have
been guests of print and broadcast media
in many of the African countries we
visit.
Has
Multimedia changed your
direction?
Jerry:
Most definitely. Since founding the Africa
Travel and Nature Library, all future
issues will be World Editions, produced in
both print and digital (electronic)
format. We call them our Green and Gold
Editions. Examples of pages from our Big 5
Regional Editions may be downloaded from
the website, especially our Faces of
Africa page - www.africa-ata.org/faces1.htm
Where
else in Africa you going?
Jerry:
Since we opened an office in Morocco,
we've relished the opportunity to discover
more of that wonderful country's delights
than in previous tours. We will return
there in March following ITB Berlin and
Salon de Tourisme, Paris. We plan to visit
West Africa again in May 2010 for the ATA
35th Annual Congress in Banjul, The
Gambia.
Key
marketing information is online at
htttp://www.africa-ata.org/advert.htm -
and http://www.africa-ata.org/webads.htm
To
be continued.
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