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"ATA stands alone as the only world travel industry association with African Tourism Ministers as President, Vice Presidents and Directors. These solid credentials give Africa Travel Magazine an edge in circulation via 23 African Tourism Ministries and National Tourist Boards that have hosted ATA events since 1976." Editor				Dr. Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey "My life's work has been to build African tourism, and educate people about Africa, its people, history and culture, and the value of that heritage to us all." So says Dr. Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey, an expert on tourism promotion and development and the president of Henderson Travel and Associates, a company that has connected people with Africa , Asia , Europe , and the Caribbean for 50 years.   Established by her parents in Atlanta as the first African American overseas touring company in the United States , Henderson Travel pioneered tourism in West Africa . The company was founded in 1955, the same year Rosa Parks refused to get up and move to the back of the bus. Henderson Travel arranged for African American leaders to travel to Ghana to celebrate that nation's independence in 1957.   The Hendersons were uniting black people who were throwing off the shackles of segregation in the United States with Africans who were liberating themselves from colonialism. A recognized leader in tourism development and marketing to African Americans, Gaynelle Henderson-Bailey sends more tourists to West Africa than any other travel group. For three decades, she has helped African states develop their heritage tourism industries as valuable components of their national economies.   "When I led my first tour to Senegal and Ghana at 18, the tourism infrastructure of most West African countries was underdeveloped. There were few tour buses, taxis or restaurants that catered to foreign visitors," says Henderson-Bailey. Today, she is assisting African countries to develop those aspects of tourism, and is helping to market elements of African culture-weaving, masks, wood sculpture, dance, slave castles, and traditional village life. In 2000, she contracted with Ghana Airways to promote the airline in five major American cities. Henderson-Bailey currently arranges travel and tours to all regions of Africa.   A 1970 graduate of Howard University , Henderson-Bailey is a trained speech pathologist and holds a Ph.D. in organizational communications. She began her own travel agency in 1984 in Washington , DC , and expanded its operations to include a conference management arm providing strategic planning, marketing, public relations, tourism development, and conference and meeting services.   In 1989, as her parents retired, she combined the operations of the Washington and Atlanta offices. Henderson-Bailey is an avid art collector and enjoys music, golf and dance.  She has been to more than 65 countries.   Her clients include: the Smithsonian Institution; Ghana Airways; the Republic of  Cameroon; U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Transportation; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the Customs and Border Protection agency; and the Congressional Black Caucus.