9th Annual Presidential Forum on Africa Tourism
NYU Africa House and the Africa Travel Association held the 9th Annual Presidential Forum on Africa Tourism on Monday, September 22, 2014, on the occasion of the United Nations General Assembly. This high-profile event brought together tourism leaders from across Africa to spotlight the critical role tourism plays in driving socio-economic growth and development.
Following the Presidential Forum program, this year ATA launched travel trade industry sessions on U.S.-Africa Travel Trends; Attracting the Millennial Traveler; and Workshops and One-on-one Consultations with travel industry leaders. This session was curated by RW Social.
Over two hundred people, including travel and tourism professionals, airline and hotel representatives, diplomatic representatives, African Diaspora leaders, media, faculty, and students attended. NYU Africa House and the ATA began hosting the Presidential Forum in 2006. Since then, over 20 African countries and representatives from the African Development Bank, United Nations World Tourism Organization, World Travel and Tourism Council, and the World Bank have participated. Last year, we welcomed the President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E. Yoweri Museveni.
Event Schedule:
9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Open Forum on African Tourism
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Lunch Reception
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Travel Trade Sessions
2:00 – 2:50 pm: Travel Trends Talk (Moderated by: Mark Walton; Panelists: Jim Brody, Rumit Mehta, and Cherae Robinson).
3:00 – 3:45 pm: Breaking the Mold: How Younger Generations Differ from Past Generations (Moderated by: Katka Lapelosova, Panelists: (Marisa Costa, Gilad Goren, and David Kartagener).
4:00 – 5:00 pm: Expert Workshops - 3 small groups had the opportunity for one-on-one time with industry experts who will provide personalized guidance on topics of interest.
Group 1: Social Media & Marketing with Bob Knorpp, Mo Krochmal
Group 2: Content Creation/Strategy with Sam Slaughter and Ethan Gelber
Group 2: Trends & Brand Strategy with Jim Brody, Cherae Robinson, and Joey Parr
Speakers:
Prof. Yaw Nyarko, Director, NYU Africa House, NYU Professor of Economics
Mr. Edward Bergman, Executive Director, Africa Travel Association
Master of Ceremony, Mr. Ali Velshi, Host of Real Money with Ali Velshi, Al Jazeera America
Hon. Walter Mzembi, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Republic of Zimbabwe; President, Africa Travel Association
Hon. Fatou Mas Jobe-Njie, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Republic of The Gambia
Hon. Phyllis Kandie, Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Trade and Tourism, Republic of Kenya
Hon. Dr. Maria Mutagamba, Minister of Tourism, Wildlife & Antiquities, Republic of Uganda
Hon. Lazaro Nyalandu, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, United Republic of Tanzania
Hon. Elizabeth Ofusu-Adjare, Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Arts, Republic of Ghana
Mark Walton, Onyx Global Marketing
Jim Brody, President & Chief DMO Nerd, A Sense of Place
Rumit Mehta, Founder & CEO, Immersion Journeys
Cherae Robinson, Founder, Rare Customs & Afripolitans
Katka Lapelosova, Managing Editor & Director of Social Media, Matador Network
Marisa Costa, Director of NEXT, ProTravel International & Tzell Travel Group
Gilad Goren, Founder & Executive Director, Travel+Social Good
David Kartagener, Vice President, Kartagener Associates Inc.; Co-Founder & Director of Operations, Young Travel Professionals
Bob Knorpp, Chief Strategist, The Cool Beans Group; Host, The Bean Cast Podcast
Mo Krochmal, Executive Editor, Social Media News NY
Content Creation/Strategy
Sam Slaughter, Vice President of Content, Contently
Ethan Gelber, Director of Content, RW Social; Co-Founder, Outbounding
Trends & Brand Strategy
Jim Brody, President & Chief DMO Nerd, A Sense of Place
Cherae Robinson, Founder, Rare Customs/Tastemakers Africa
Public Relations
Joey Parr, Strategic Communications & Media Relations Consultant
Sponsors:
Premier Sponsors:
Ethiopian Airlines
Tanzania National Parks
2014 Official Congress Airline Sponsor:
Brussels Airlines
Travel Trade Sessions supported by Wagner Student Alliance for Africa (WSAFA)