ATA’s YPP Forum engages students and young professionals in the hospitality and tourism sector in a forum to discuss the latest trends for youth employment and skills development. The forum will cover opportunities for increasing opportunities as African young travel professionals in the tourism sector, challenges to starting a growing tourism business and ways to overcome them, the role of research in starting and running a growing tourism business, the place of tourism associations/organizations in growing your business or agenda, and how to showcase and attract people to the unique African culture with the ever evolving world tourism trends.
Every destination’s marketing strategy needs to start somewhere -- this session will cover the building blocks to promote emerging destinations in a competitive global tourism market.
While most first-time travelers to Africa are looking for a safari, what other products can be brought into their experiences to show them Africa’s diversity?
A country is more than just the sum of its parts. How can you provide both a cohesive image of a unified brand, while still honoring the varied aspects of a country’s regions, products, and history?
African tourism isn’t only about safaris and leisure travel -- learn how business travel in Africa is a leading source of increased revenue and diversity of visitors.
Cultural tourism has the potential to engage local communities in marketing authentic travel experiences. Learn insights from Caribbean tourism experts on how to engage local communities and create partnerships for marketing destinations.
Africans are welcoming people who love to share their pride in their communities. This session will cover best practices to make sure that both locals and visitors are provided the best experience possible -- before, during, and after the tourists come by.
Adventure travel is one of the fastest growing niche markets. In this session learn how to create dynamic adventure travel products and events.
Earning media is much more economical than buying a string of ads. This breakout will focus on how to get the attention of the people who can put you into the spotlight.
Major (and smaller) sporting events can be a part of branding a destination and can also be a great injection of vitality and capital. The sport of running is one of Kenya's greatest tourism assets and has great potential for growth. Learn from Run with Kenyans how to promote sports culture to drive tourism and create partnerships for your business.
Wherever we are from, Africa is still our original home. Join this breakout to discover the most recent paleontological discoveries and developments in Kenya.
Learn key strategies for attracting investment in the hospitality and tourism sector in Africa, including infrastructure, hotel development, financing options, and growth and funding trends.
In this candid discussion, Africa’s leading tourism ministers openly discuss dealing with issues such as security, Ebola, and conflict and impact on the tourism sector.
What’s hot in the Africa hotel space? Representatives from Africa’s leading and emerging properties will cover the latest developments and what is in the pipeline for their brands.
Join executives from major airlines as they discuss how air travel in Africa continues to progress, as well as the obstacles that still need to be overcome.
Kenya remains a country that is driven and committed to cultivating a strong business and investment environment. In order to further highlight Kenya’s attractiveness as a regional investment destination, and in follow up to the U.S. Africa Leaders’ Summit and President Obama’s July trip to Kenya, Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) plans to convene a high-level roundtable on competitiveness on November 11, 2015 in Nairobi.
The outcomes for the KCF are an updated competitiveness scorecard to be used by BCIU to attract U.S. investment and a unique networking opportunity which could ultimately lead to future business partnerships.
BCIU’s proposed KCF aims to identify tangible steps that the public and privates sectors in Kenya and the U.S. can take to highlight the country’s strong fundamentals as well as opportunities to enhance its competitiveness. As a follow up to President Obama’s trip during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the KCF would bring together regional presidents of U.S. and non-U.S. multinationals, American financial investors and project developers, officials from the Government, important companies and entrepreneurs based in Kenya, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to discuss Kenyan competitiveness. The half-day forum would tackle three main questions:
1) How can Kenya continue to lead the East Africa region and the African continent as a whole in being a desirable investment location with strong roots in entrepreneurship and innovation?
2) What reforms can be made in the business environment to make Kenya more competitive?
3) How can stakeholders collaborate to pursue these objectives?
Following the KCF, BCIU will produce a white paper which outlines market strengths and presents recommendations for increasing Kenya’s competitiveness.
A notional agenda and list of participations follow below. The final agenda will be the result of consultations with the stakeholders prior to the KCF.
Africa’s wildlife is one of its most valuable resources for attracting tourists. This panel will discuss what efforts are being made to conserve and protect Africa's wildlife, for the benefit of local communities and visitors alike.
As the way traveler’s book continues to change, what trends should travel marketers be looking for? What are the best practices? This session will delve into a wide range of topics, providing insight on how to navigate an ever-changing space.
Let’s face it: Africa doesn’t always get a fair shake in the media. What can be done by both travel marketers and honest journalists to provide Africa with more balanced and authentic coverage, equally focused on the continent’s progress and vitality?
Topics to be discussed:
A series of presentations by leading minds from across the world of tourism, provide inspiration and fresh ideas for the advancement of the Africa tourism sector.
Introduction by: Mr. Roni Weiss, Founder, RW Social
Speakers:
Ms. Christy Tawii, Analyst, Euromonitor International
Topic: Driving domestic tourism in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): trends, socio-economic factors, industry dynamics, and future outlook
Ms. Fiona Dunne, Promotions Manager – US, Tourism Ireland
Topic: Passion, partnerships and telling an authentic story: lessons learned from marketing Ireland as a tourism destination in the U.S. market
Mr. Michael Becker, CEO, GeoSure Global, LLC
Topic: Shifting Africa’s narrative: Crowd-sourcing local perspectives and insights to support tourism
Ms. Rumbidzai Mudzengerere, Founder, Hakuna Matata African Travel and Tours; Marketing Executive for the Americas, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA); Chair, ATA Young Professionals Program
Topic: Engaging Youth in Tourism: Supporting the Next Generation of Tourism Professionals
Ms. Amini Kajunju, President & CEO, The Africa-America Institute
Topic: Capacity building and educational initiatives to support the growth of the hospitality and tourism sector in Africa
Mr. Guido van Garderen, Senior Strategist, InterbrandSampsonDeVilliers
Topic: Branding African Destinations
Audience Q & A
