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ESSENTIAL RESOURCES WHEN VISITING OR SELLING
TRAVEL TO EAST AFRICA
Feb 01, 2015
Week in and week out arrive e-mails and in growing
numbers messages via my social media accounts, paying
compliments about the wide range of news from the region
and then often ending ‘but where do I find out more
about . . . ‘.
The ‘about’ of course then reads Kampala, Nairobi,
Mombasa, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Kigali or
Bujumbura, places readers intend to visit and want to
learn more about it before landing.
Starting with Uganda, we are blessed to have, free of
charge, a printed version of ‘The Eye’, which I consider
one of the most comprehensive guides on the market in
the region. Besides Kampala, a detailed map included,
does the publication also cover Entebbe and Jinja, again
with maps of the core areas of the two towns. Hotels,
resorts, safari lodges, inns, B&B’s, restaurants,
leisure and adventure activities, topical articles on
places to visit, national parks, diplomatic missions,
airlines, bus services, travel agencies, shopping tips
and
a range of specialized services like schools, doctors
and more, it is all found in ‘The Eye’. Published
bi-monthly is it distributed through a wide range of
outlets and when the print versions run out are current
and past editions accessible on the web by clicking on www.theeye.co.ug .
In addition has the ‘Pearl Guide’ emerged and taken
hold, where, partly print but largely web based, are
regular updates on events and ‘happenings’ accessible
for visitors and locals at www.thepearlguide.co.ug .
They also launched Uganda’s first ‘travel app’ which can
be downloaded for free through a link on their website.
The Eye also dominated the scene in neighbouring Rwanda
and Burundi, where the A5 sized four colour magazine is
published every three months, with similar content. The
web address for ‘The Eye Rwanda and Burundi’ is found
viawww.theeye.co.rw .
In Tanzania is such value added information available
today through the monthly ‘What’s Happening in Dar’
which also contains an Arusha section, leaving out
however such other cities and towns like Mwanza. From
restaurant reviews to new lodges, resorts and camps does
the 120+ pages magazine give a broad overview of things
a visitor ought to know or be aware of before coming to
Dar, be it on business or on pleasure. To see content on
the web click on www.whatshappeningtz.com .
For the island of Zanzibar can the ‘Swahili Coast’ be
recommended, which, published bi-monthly by Javed
Jafferi, offers an events guide, an ‘inside’ guide, a
map of the ‘Stone Town’ and listings of hotels, resorts
and restaurants. The magazine’s information is available
on the web via www.swahilicoast.com .
And then there is Kenya of course, where ‘KenyaBuzz’
continues to provide weekly updates on the web only. The
company reaches a global audience through their mail
shots and of course their website
www.kenyabuzz.com . They were one of the first in
Kenya to launch an ‘app’ which can be downloaded from
their web page and will prove to be an invaluable help
for visitors to Nairobi and beyond.
‘Go Places’ is the arguably longest ‘serving’ printed
guide, now also available of course on the web, and
covers all aspects of importance to visitors in a handy
format. Most hotel receptions or concierge desks have
copies to spare for guests, leaving no one to wonder
where to go or what to do when in Nairobi for the
weekend. Check them out via www.goplaceskenya.com .
Of course there are other ‘apps’ available today for the
region, as are more publications, and those who feel the
above selection is not extensive enough, can always
‘Google’ or ‘Bing’ for additional information, what is
happening across Eastern Africa. Plenty to look forward
to, from festivals like the annual gorilla naming in
Rwanda to horse racing in Nairobi to rafting the upper
Nile in Jinja, sporting events like golf tournaments,
marathons and more, are now all
available on the web to help make a trip to any or all
countries in our region an even better experience.
For added information about the five East African
Community member countries click on www.visituganda.com, www.magicalkenya.com ,
www.tanzaniatouristboard.com ,www.rwandatourism.com
and www.burundi-tourism.com
Our
Google Score for Marketing the Africa Travel
Association
 When
Jack London (left) wrote "Call of the Wild," he
captured the lure that grips us each year when spring is in
the air. In other words, there is absolutely no way, we
would miss an ATA Congress in Africa. This year's event is
scheduled for Banjul, The
Gambia,
May 17-20, however to give our readers an idea of the
outstanding activities, networking and educational
opportunities at a typical ATA Congress, we will FLASHBACK
to CAIRO, EGYPT in 2009, where history, the pharaohs and
good friends from past occasions beckoned us to make the
annual journey.
It was the
14th ATA Annual Congress we had attended since Africa Travel
Magazine was launched in 1995. As in most of the ATA
Congresses and Symposia in Africa, our editorial team of
Jerry W. Bird, Karen Hoffman and Muguette Goufrani, played
an active part. After the ATA 34th Congress and an
outstanding
Nile Cruise
aboard the Moevenpick Royal Lily from Aswan to Luxor, we
returned to Cairo overnight by Egyptian Rail and to
Casablanca via Royal Air Maroc. Thanks to Amr
Kallini, General Manager of Moevenpick Hotel Cairo -
Media City and his staff of professionals for making our
stay in Egypt so memorable. Listen to a series of
audio
interviews with
Mr. Kallini and others from Cairo on this
website.
Since 1995 we have worked diligently to expand our
magazine's reach and influence beyond its original target,
North America. Now Webtrends gives us a daily picture of who
is reading our articles worldwide, where they live- and what
topics they prefer.The results on the left sidebar are
surprising.
Egypt
Hosts an Outstanding ATA Congress
Photo
Gallery
. Official
ATA Release
 Among
other duties, Karen Hoffman (right), Africa Travel
Magazine's Associate Editor from New York, served as
chairman of a panel discussion on marketing. For 12 months
in advance of the event in Egypt, we spread the word;
online, on air, in print and in person across the USA and
Canada.
Expanding our Reach and Influence
More recently, we circulated magazines and press releases at
ITB Berlin, world's largest travel trade show, and Salon de
Tourisme in Paris, a popular event with Francophone Africa
exhibitors and tourism ministers. We spent the final month
in North Africa, visiting contacts old and new in four
Moroccan cities, two of which have hosted ATA events in
recent years. To gather firsthand information, take photos
and conduct in-depth interviews for the magazine's Northern
Africa World Edition, Air Highways Edition and
Venues
World Edition, the
editorial team remained in Egypt for a 10 day post congress
tour. There are seven other titles in the Africa
Travel Library, some
available for preview on the magazine's website.
 About
the ATA Congress
Held in Cairo, Egypt for the first time since 1991, the
Africa Travel Association 34th Annual Congress attracted
over 300 travel industry professionals from the US, Canada
and Africa. The delegates included tourism ministers,
tourist boards, airlines, hoteliers, ground
operators, plus representatives from business,
nonprofit and development sectors. Held at the Conrad Cairo
Hotel, May 17-21, the Congress was hosted by the Hon.
Zoheir Garranah, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Amr El
Ezaby, Chairman, Egyptian Tourist Authority (ETA).
Above:
Karen Hoffman, Associate Editor of Africa Travel Magazine
since 1995; Left- Hon. Zoheir Garranah, Egyptian Minister of
Tourism.
 Lasting
Bonds
Saluting the First ATA Congress
We were pleased to greet many longtime members, including
one of ATA's founders, tour operator Peter Muiruri
(right) of Nairobi, Kenya, who we hosted at an ATA Canada
Chapter event in Vancouver, BC, along with over 20 safari
operators. Recently promoted by the Ministry of Tourism in
Cameroon is Ebenezer
Elimbi, whose
feature on his country's year round festivals appears in our
Central Africa World Edition. Among numerous highlights of
the week, was the opportunity to share a table during the
gala cruise, with two interesting and enlightened ladies,
New York University Professor Sarah Graham Mann, who
we first met in Djibouti, and Lisa  Simon
of the National Tour Association. Sarah will be producing a
feature in our magazine on Training Schools in Africa for
the travel and tourism industry. Lisa has invited Africa
Travel Magazine to cover its annual convention in Reno this
fall. Both ladies played a big role in the congress program
(more later).
Above:
Peter Muiruri of ATA Kenya, taken at the first ATA Congress
in 1976.
Left: Sara Graham Mann and Lisa Simon at Giza pyramids.
Below: Ambassador
Daudi Mwakawago of Tanzania
Hon. Tadelech Dalecho, Ethiopia State Minister for Culture
and Tourism.
Amant Macha, Director of Marketing, Tanzania Tourist Board
(with friends) at Khan el Khalili market. during host
country day.
ATA
Congress Photo Galleries
Program topics included:
Destination Egypt: Something for everyone; Rebirth of
Destination Egypt: Leading in troubled times; Bringing the
World to Africa: Opportunities with FIFA World Cup; Hotel
Marketing Trends: New uses and approaches; Advocacy and
Entrepreneurship; Dynamic Media and Internet- New tools for
the Travel Industry; Destination Africa; Trends and
crosscutting issues; Focus on Africa's travel products;
Present and future of air access to and within Africa (see
our Air Highways World Edition); Selling Africa in the World
Marketplace ( see our Venues World Edition). Africa Travel
Magazine's World
Editions will expand
on many of those topics during the year.
 Renewing
Friendships at ATA Congress
It was a real pleasure to meet with Ambassador Daudi
Mwakawago of Tanzania again, after his outstanding
performane during last year's ATA Congress in Arusha, the
world's safari capital. A gold mine of information, with
vast experience and a stalwart on the ATA Board, he has
served in many key positions. Some of these include his
country's Minister for Information and Broadcasting,
Information and Culture, Labor and Manpower Development,
Industry and Trade - and Tanzania's Ambassador to Sierra
Leone. Our editorial team looks forward to printing his
topical comments in one or more of our Africa Travel
Magazine's World Editions. The Ambassador moderated a panel
that discussed Africa's diverse travel products, which
ranged from cultural and heritage tourism to youth travel
and from fashion to sea and sun.
 We
spent some quality time with Hon. Tadelech Dalecho,
State Minister for Culture and Tourism, Ethiopia, who led
our delegation to the Houston, Texas International Festival,
an exciting two weekend opportunity, where we introduced
Africa Travel Magazine's Ethiopia World Edition. She has
some good news regarding Lucy's Legacy in New York City, on
the heels of similar showings in Houston and Seattle. Other
familiar faces were Patricia Brown of Sierra Leone and
Amant Macha (below center) of Tanzania, both of whom
were with us at ITB. We were sorry that Michael
Booker, G.M. of Port Ghalib could not attend, however we
plan to visit his Red Sea resort area soon. We met with
Ali Liaquat of the Africa Peace Caravan, whose story
we were proud to tell in Africa Travel Magazine
Let's
all hope Ali's problem will be resolved and the program
continues this year.
 Egypt's
Shift in Tourism Marketing
Another of the event's leading ladies, Hon. Shamsa
Mwangunga (MP), ATA President, led off the program. As
Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania, she
has presided over one of Africa tourism's greatest
achievements, capturing a healthy share of the U.S. market.
She introduced Chairman Amr El-Ezaby of the Egypt
Tourist Authority, who said, "Until 20 to 30 years ago,
Egypt was a one product destination, the Classic Egypt tour.
But in the 1980's, Egypt started to diversify its product in
order to retain its competitive edge, by developing resort
tourism on the Red Sea, desert tourism and cultural tourism.
This diversification led to dramatic demand and generated an
increase of infrastructure from 18,000 rooms in 1982 to
210,000 rooms in 2008. Today, Egypt is striving to change
its image even further by developing high-end resorts to
appeal to the luxury market." The success of Egypt's
diversification strategy is reflected in the country's
continued growth of tourism arrivals despite the challenges
of the recent economic climate, realizing a 17 percent
growth worldwide in 2008.
 Wise
words from the African Union
ATA Executive Director Edward Bergman read the
following letter from Dr. Elham M. A. Ibrahim,
Commissioner of Infrastructure and Energy of the African
Union. "In Africa, tourism is considered as a sector with a
very high potential that could contribute more substantially
to economic growth, poverty alleviation and overall
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Africa is
endowed with various natural phenomena of high touristic
value. Furthermore, the continent has a rich cultural
heritage. Yet, Africa accounts for hardly 4% of
international tourist arrivals and receipts even though the
continent has over 12% of the world's population. The
situation is mainly a result of poor infrastructure,
 inadequate
investment, lack of promotion as well as prevalence of a
negative image and perceptions especially associated with
insecurity and safety aspects in some parts of the
continent. Therefore, the African Union counts on ATA to
come up with practical solutions, particularly on how to
cost-effectively promote Africa's tourist attractions as
well as foster cooperation among all tourism stakeholders,
including policy-makers, development planners, investors,
financiers, operators and the public at large, with a view
to addressing the specific development needs of the tourism
sector in Africa."
Africa's Biggest Sports Spectacle of 2010
With an eye on the FIFA 2010 World Cup, South Africa's
Deputy Director-General, Department of Environmental Affairs
and Tourism, Sindiswa Nhlumayo, shared his country's
perspective on Africa's top event of the year and the
resulting benefits to tourism in all of Africa. The official
Match Schedule was recently released. The games will be
played in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Mangaung/
Bloemfontein, Nelson Mandela Bay/ Port Elizabeth, Nelspruit,
Polokwane, Rustenburg and Tshwane/Pretoria. The matches will
take place between June 11 and July 11, 2010. Also on the
sports tourism agenda was a presentation by Ango la
on the upcoming Africa Cup.
An
Enchanted Evening at the Citadel
Whirling dervish dancers topped off a superb dinner at
Cairo's Salah el-Din Citadel, hosted by Egypt's Minister of
Tourism. Located on a scenic plateau overlooking historic
section of Old Cairo, the Citadel was constructed by Salah
El Din on the Moqattam hills to defend Cairo from the
Crusaders armies in 1183 AD. The complex house museums,
ancient mosques and other points of interest. Our hosts
treated delegates to a memorable evening, with a spectacular
venue, Egyptian music in the background and one entire side
of the main building bathed in floodlights.
 Hotels
in the spotlight
The
positive effect of new hotels across Africa, plus improved
training and standards led to a very lively session on the
topics chaired by Ethiopia's Head of Standardization &
Facilitation, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Matewos
Gebremariam. Panelists included Amr Kallini,
General Manager ,
Moevenpick Hotel,
Media City
(right), Omar Carrera, Executive Assistant Manager,
Sheraton Addis, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia, and Glenn Carroll, Senior Vice President,
Sales and Marketing, CHI Hotels and Resorts, Malta.
Photo: Doorman at Hotel Conrad, ATA Congress
headquarters.
Below- Gaynelle Henderson Bailey
Wide range of timely topics
Karen Hoffman led a discussion on how ATA members can
use social networking tools, such as Facebook, YouTube,
Twitter, and Blogging to attract new audiences. Sarah Graham
Mann, an Adjunct Professor at New York University spoke
about the American market and suggested the ways African
tour operators can attract the US marketplace. Dr. Yaw
Nyarko, Director of the Africa House at New York
University, asked the panelists to speak about the need to
create a collaborative working document that states why the
tourism industry is important for Africa with the support of
statistical analysis. Besa Muwele, Principal Statistician at
Central Statistical Office of the African Development Bank
spoke about the Bank's efforts in this direction.
 African
Heritage and Diaspora
Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey, ATA Board Member and
President of Henderson Travel Service, spoke about the
upcoming African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference in Dar
es Salaam Tanzania in October, 2009. Gaynelle's husband
Lance was also in attendance. Also on the heritage scene,
Broadcaster Ogo Sow spoke about the important role
the Africa Diaspora can play in the tourism industry.
Shahinaz Reza Ahmed, CEO, Education for Employment
Foundation in Egypt spoke about efforts to promote
employment opportunities in Egypt through collaboration, and
Munzali Dantata, Director General of the National Institute
for Hospitality and Tourism, Nigeria spoke about educational
travel opportunities. A friend of ours from New York, whose
group has a big challenge in Africa, Jani Nayar,
Executive Coordinator, Society for Accessible Travel &
Hospitality (SATH), spoke about accommodating special needs
travelers and tourism across Africa. We met a colleague at
ITB Berlin whose entire agency is devoted to special needs
travel. Our editor attended a group meeting of SATH and ATA
in Orlando, Florida and support their cause
wholeheartedly.
Africa's Air
Highways
On a topic dear to our hearts, Africa-based airline
executives spoke about their current and future plans. The
panel included Ashraf Osman, General Manager, Sales,
EgyptAir, Gregg Truman, Vice President of Marketing,
South African Airways, Cornelia Wilson-Hunter,
Manager of the Safe Skies for Africa, US Dept. of
Transportation.
 For
the good times
The Tanzanian President's Dinner and 9th Annual Awards
ceremony, a perennial favorite at every recent ATA Congress,
was at the Cairo's Four Seasons Hotel. Hon.Shamsa Mwangunga,
Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, presented awards
to individuals and organizations who have helped promote
Destination Tanzania during the last 12 months. The Minister
also led the guests in an evening of Tanzanian food, dancing
and entertainment.
The Annual Host Country Day featured a tour of Cairo, which
included the Egyptian National Museum, the Giza Pyramids and
Khan El-Khalili market. It concluded with a dinner cruise on
the Nile Maxim Floating restaurant.
Photos:Hon. Shamsa Mwangunga cuts the "Kilimanjaro cake,"
while hon. Tadelech Dalech of Ethiopia looks on ATA
Executive Director Edward Bergman (left),
Hon.
Tadelech Dalecho of
Ethiopia and group on deck of the Nile Maxim Floating
Restaurant. Photo by Muguette Goufrani.
Editor's
Blog: Continued
(Part
2).
 NEW
AFRICA TRAVEL LIBRARY! MARKETING AFRICA TOURISM WORLDWIDE -
IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES!
For 14 years we have partnered with African Tourism
Ministries and ATA to produce many full color travel
magazines. Issues included Namibia, Benin, Tanzania, Ghana,
Morocco, South Africa, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria,
Zambia, Angola, Djibouti, Kenya, Uganda and Egypt- plus
features on many other countries. Now in addition to single
destinations issues we introduce World Editions on 5 UN sub
regions - Northern,
Southern, Eastern, Western and Central
Africa. To attract
visitors to trade shows involving Africa Travel. Trade and
Tourism,we introduce our Venues World Edition, updated
electronically daily or weekly and launched in print prior
to the top travel trade shows, such as WTM, ITB, New York
Times, Indaba - and many more.
CLICK TO SAMPLE THESE TWO
PAGE SPREADS!
•
Riads of Northern Africa - http://www.africa-ata.org/riads.htm
• Perfectly Pemba - http://www.africa-ata.org/pemba_spd.htm
• Camel Caravans of Djibouti - http://www.africa-ata.org/djsp_camels.htm
• Nigeria's Abuja Carnival - http://www.africa-ata.org/abuja_spd.htm
• To Timbuktu for a Haircut - http://www.africa-ata.org/haircut.htm
• Africa Shines at ITB Berlin - http://www.africa-ata.org/itb.htm
• From Cairo to a Nile Cruise -
http://www.africa-ata.org/mpk_nile.htm
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