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3rd
Africa Peace Through Tourism Conference,
Zambia,
Feb. 2005 Zambia
Story |
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Zambia
adds "Zest" to ATA's 28th Congress Zambia
hosted successful ATA events in 1981 and 1993 -
however the Africa Travel Association's 28th
International Congress in May, 2003 was the first
"double-header," with Lusaka and
Livingstone-Victoria Falls sharing the honors.
There's something magical about any ATA event, and
our Zambian friends added their own zest to the
menu. We call it going for the gusto! What delegate
wouldn't be awed by Mosi- O-Tunya, the smoke that
thunders, or the denizens we encountered up close
on a Lower Zambezi canoe safari. For business,
networking and professional presentation, the Trade
Show at Lusaka's InterContinental Hotel was a sure
winner. Zambia is a great place to get around,
thanks to its airlines and road links, which meant
we covered much more territory than expected. The
country's elevation allows for a more pleasant
climate than one would expect in a tropical country
- all the more reason to plan an encore in
2004.
To
drum up advance interest in "The Real Africa,"
Zambia's National Tourist Office staged a USA Road
Show, aided by ATA's Southern California, Atlanta,
Washington and New York chapters. These venues
helped ensure a large, enthusiastic attendance at
the event's launch in Lusaka. At the Congress
opening address, Zambia's President, Hon. Levy P.
Mwanawsa (right) was upbeat about tourism's
potential, echoed by the theme "Ethno Tourism: A
key to sustainable development and job creation."
In this positive vein, he stressed the importance
of increasing tourist flow from North America to a
wider range of African destinations. The President
welcomed all ATA delegates at a sunset reception in
the spacious gardens of Government House. H.E.
Martin Brennan, United States Ambassador to Zambia
hosted ATA delegates at the beautiful embassy
complex in Lusaka. He too expressed confidence
that, if managed properly, tourism can be a
catalyst to better infrastructure development and
conservation. He believes that tourism should be
seen as more than just an income generator, but as
a tool for transforming the world into a global
village. Brennan was pleased to announce that the
U.S. government will provide $9 million for natural
resource management in Kafue National Park and
Zambezi-Chobe area, including a program for
training Africans in tourist services. Photo
: Hon. Meghji (above) with IIPT President Louis
D'Amore. Below: Mira Berman, Hon. Patrick
Kalifungwa, Hon. Zakia Meghji and Gaynelle
Henderson-Bailey, 1st Vice President,
ATA. Continued
on next page:
Awards, Gala Events and Comments |
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To
catch some of the Congress action
and
Photo
(top): ATA delegates taking a time out to catch the
spray at Victoria Falls.
Above:
President greets delegates. Left: H.E. Martin
Brennan, U.S. Ambassador to Zambia; Ms. Mira
Berman, Executive Director, ATA; Hon. Zakia Hamdani
Meghji, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism,
Tanzania, and ATA President; H.E. Levy P.
Mwanawasa, President, Republic of
Zambia.
African
member countries are following suit.
Taking
a bold new initiative in the direction of Travel
and Tourism, Zambia's government has adopted an
ambitious five year plan. One of its chief aims is
for tourism to generate nearly half of the
country's revenue. Therefore, high on the agenda is
the tourism infrastructure, such as airports,
highways and secondary roads. We spent an hour with
the Lusaka International Airport Authority and were
impressed with the plans for creating a major hub
in Southern Africa. To make it all work, marketing
ranks high, with a New York Office of ZNTB in the
plans, advertising seminars, and participation by
“The Real Africa”at key events, such as
the World Travel Market, ITB Berlin and North
America's top venues.
