Former Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Dr. Taleb Rifai and the former Minister for Tourism of Seychelles Alain St. Ange are among the prominent personalities in the world tourism arena who will share their views at the first Africa Tourism Day. Together, the two world tourism gurus are expected to discuss issues pertaining to African tourism development, plans, and the way forward for the future of tourism in Africa during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the theme of “Pandemic to Prosperity for Posterity,” the Africa Tourism Day event will bring together key personalities from Africa and outside the continent to give their views targeting the positive growth of tourism for Africa as a whole.
Other notable personalities and speakers to grace the event are the leading Tanzania diplomat Ambassador Amina Salum Ali, former Permanent Representative of the African Union (AU) to the United States. Ambassador Amina is rich with African diplomacy and other political and development issues arising from Africa and has been speaking at various conferences, meetings, and gatherings representing Africa to the US from 2007 up to 2015. From 2016 up to October of this year, Amb. Amina was the Minister of Trade and Industry of Zanzibar.
Among other personalities from various African countries are Mr. Moses Vilakati, Minister for Tourism of the Kingdom of Eswatini; Dr. Walter Mzembi, former Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Zimbabwe; Hon. Hisham Zaazou, former Egyptian Minister for Tourism; and Dr. Fredson Baca, Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Republic of Mozambique. Dr. Benson Bana, the Tanzanian High Commissioner to Nigeria, is another notable guest who will attend and speak at the ATD event.
The Executive Chairman of the African Tourism Board, Mr. Cuthbert Ncube, and Abigail Olagbaye, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Desigo Tourism Development and Facility Management Company Limited, are set to speak at the colorful event to be held virtually from Abuja in Nigeria.
Africa Tourism Day has been planned and organized by Desigo Tourism Development and Facility Management Company Limited in partnership with the African Tourism Board (ATB) and will be held for the first time in Nigeria on a rotation basis through other African states every year. The African Tourism Board is an association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from, and within the African region.
The event has attracted famous tourism business executives, among them Ms. Jillian Blackbeard, CEO, Victoria Falls Regional Association in Botswana; Ms. Angela Martha Diamantino, CEO, KADD Investment and founder of the Angolan Women in Business and Tourism (AWIBT).
Mrs. Zainab Ansell from Zara Tours in Tanzania is another speaker at the event, where she will share her views on the development of tourism in Africa. Zainab Ansell has been voted among the leading women entrepreneurs in tourism in Tanzania and Africa. She is among a few women business leaders in tourism in Africa, managing and running Zara Tours, a safari company in Tanzania. In 2009, Zainab launched Zara Charity with a focus to give back to the community through provision of free education to marginalized communities in Tanzania. Zainab Ansell was among the top 100 women in Africa, honored for their excellence in tourism development during the Akwaaba African Travel Market in Nigeria.
