African Tourism: Infrastructure for Promoting Access?

African delegates at the FITUR Exhibitions in Madrid, Spain have chosen Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, director general of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), to head a newly formed continental body known as the African Tourism Promotion Initiative, which was formed the participants at the event.

The body was formed after a meeting held at the Nigeria stand, which came in the heels of the INVESTOUR Forum held  at Feria de Madrid, venue of the global tourism event.
 
 INVESTOUR, which debuted for the first time this year, was initiated by the Spanish Outboard Tourism Authorities, the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Casa Africa.
 
The forum was formed as a result of the increasing interest on African destinations by Spanish investors and tourists and is expected to afford African destinations the opportunity to present their various destinations and business opportunities to the investors, and its focus was on the Economic Community of West Africa States (Ecowas).

The objectives of the new tourism body are to market and promote tourism; build and develop contacts and relationships among the various destinations in the continent. This is in addition to carrying out joint promotions and marketing of tourism products and services of member nations; and to support each member at exhibitions platforms across the globe.
 
The body also resolved that it would henceforth engage in the understudy of member nations' destinations with the aim of helping to grow, develop and promote the continent as one destination.
 
The need to jumpstart the process of having a formidable voice in the global tourism through the new body was emphasised with members pledging to do everything possible to ensure the success of the new initiative.
Also to jumpstart this, Zimbabwe formally announced the hosting of Miss Zimbabwe beauty pageant by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) with formal invitation extended to all the members and countries of Africa by Karikoa Kaseke, chief executive of ZTA,  who is also the vice president of the new body.
 
The Gambia Tourism also announced the hosting of the Africa Travel Association (ATA) Congress by May with formal invitation to all the members while countries such as Burkina Faso announced the hosting of a tourism expo later in the year with all the members invited to exhibit ex-gratis.
 
It was also agreed at the forum that English and French languages would be the official languages for the conduct of business.
The secretary of the body is Stella Christiane Drabo from Burkina Faso while Mr. Ida Jang Njie from Gambia Tourism is the public relations officer.
FITUR is an annual exhibition platform which is dedicated to the development and promotion of global tourism destinations, products and services.