When an organization like the Africa Travel Association
(ATA), founded in 1975, celebrates its fortieth annual
congress, as just recently done in Nairobi, where it all
started, it is time to take a moment, take stock and
look back and almost inevitably honor those fellow
members who have over time passed on.
Ron Mracky, a congress regular with his wife, Sylvia,
recognized Kenya’s co-founder of ATA, Peter Muiruri, and
driving force to establish the organization, when he was
posted to New York to run the Kenya tourist office there
from 1974 to 1977 before returning home and joining the
African Tours and Hotels as Director of Marketing.
Ron kindly shared his eulogy with me allowing it to be
reproduced here in recognition of an ATA great, one fit
to be inducted into the Africa Travel hall of fame, one
whose vision of forty years ago led to the successes the
organization has since recorded:
“With this congress we celebrate 40 years of ATA and are
in Nairobi once again – just as we have done every ten
years since 1975. And with that we also need to
celebrate the man, a key tourism executive in Kenya, who
is primarily responsible for ATA’s beginning.
“The man we celebrate is Peter Muiruri – who in 1974
through ’77 was the Director of the Kenya Tourist Office
in New York, then the hub of everything ‘tourism.’
“He was a consummate tourism marketing professional and
established Kenya’s and Africa’s presence during the
excitement of the seventies – great time of leisure
international tourism. As part of his promotional
efforts he held monthly luncheon meetings with marketing
reps from companies with travel business to Africa and
specifically Kenya, among them the classic names of
African tourism: InterContinental, Pan Am, Park East,
British Airways, Sabena, British Caledonian and Alitalia.
“This informal monthly group became important and
eventually needed a name and seeing other travel
associations such as the Caribbean and the Pacific Area
Travel Association they named the new organization THE
AFRICA TRAVEL ASSOCIATION – the year was 1975.
“Peter took this new entity through its legal
beginnings, with the ATA originators electing Murray
Vidocker, then from British Caledonian Airways, as the
Chairman of what was the first marketing organization to
promote travel and tourism to Africa.
“Almost immediately ATA gained tremendous industry
support with new chapters and members coming online,
many who since then have become major movers of US
tourists to Africa and Peter saw the need for a major,
and REALLY major launch event.
“He contacted the government urging for Kenya to sponsor
the launch event in Nairobi. The government agreed and
with additional support from Kenya’s private sector, the
hotels, airlines, tour operators and travel agents, the
first ATA Congress was on and ATA was launched in
Nairobi in April 1976.
“Over 300 delegates attended the first congress at which
a resolution was voted for every tenth congress to be
held in Kenya, and that’s why you’re here.
“With this we celebrate the vision that Peter had and
although he is not with us anymore, missing this
congress and celebration by only a few weeks, we
officially acknowledge Peter Muiruri as the man who had
the vision for Africa and became the driving force in
establishing the Africa Travel Association.
“Peter’s wife Margaret is here to accept our
proclamation and accept the celebratory applause for
Peter’s work and commitment to Kenya’s and Africa’s
tourism.
“Let us celebrate Peter with a round of applause, loud
enough so he can hear us…”
I salute both Peter and Ron, who delivered this
recognition at the ATA Gala Night and Awards Dinner in
Nairobi two weeks ago, taking time to remember where it
all started and who started it all. Too often the past
is forgotten, pushed aside to make way for the new, the
current, and the future, but we owe it to those who were
there before us to keep them in our thoughts, as a
living memorial of what was and where we came from.
KEEP IT UNDER YOUR HAT. YOU'VE
FOUND THE BEST SAFARI VALUE EVER
..