Cote D’Ivoire and African Tourism Board share a Golden Vision

1. Ivory Coast National Federation of Hospitality Industry officially joins the African Tourism Board, Only a United African approach will benefit the continent.
2. The African Tourism Board appoints its ambassador to Cote D’Ivoire
3. African Tourism Board Chairman Cuthbert Ncube discussed a way forward to develop the travel and tourism industry in Mother Africa past COVID-19 and finds open arms.

Within the framework of his planned interaction with Ivorian tourism stakeholders, the African Tourism Board (ATB) Chairman Mr. Cuthbert met today with the National Federation of Hospitality Industry of  Cote d-Ivoire. He shared the vision of ATB about the rebranding of the tourism sector in Cote d’Ivoire.

Being the leading country in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, Cote d’Ivoire alone makes 45% of GDP of the said Union that is made of 8 countries. It highlights the economic power the country represents in the region.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the FNIH-CI, Mr LOLO Diby Cleophas with some of his close collaborators, and Mr Joseph GRAH the new ATB Ambassador in Cote d’Ivoire.

During the meeting, the Chairman of the ATB thanked the audience for the warm welcome he received.

He presented the vision of the ATB which is to rebrand tourism and rewrite a new history of the African continent in the face of the world condition,

The goal is to reposition Africa as the best tourist’s destination in the post COVID19 pandemic period.

“Africa is the motherland of humanity”, Ncube said.

Therefore the purpose of his visit to Cote d’Ivoire was to advocate all Ivorian stakeholders to join hands and support this golden vision .

Ncube said.: Africa has to stand as one to achieve this golden vision. Most especially it is important to break the boundaries and mindset that keep Africans in dependency on westerns policies and prevent it to achieve their own destiny.”

The chairman of the FNIH-CI Mr LOLO Diby Cleophas strongly expressed his gratitude towards Mr Cuthbert Ncube for the sacrifice made to engage on this trip to Cote d’Ivoire despite the risks of the COVID19 pendemic.

He also believed this was an opportunity for tourism actors to rethink the tourism sector and rebrand it under the new auspices of an organization like ATB that apparently incarnates a strong leadership.

Mr. Cuthbert was a former prominent UNWTO officials for its affiliated program. The organizations patron Dr Taleb Rifai was a two term Secretary-General of UNWTO.

Meanwhile, the meeting highlighted key challenges facing tourism in Africa. It includes the high-cost airfares, lack of direct connecting flights between African countries, underdeveloped domestic and medical tourism which could yield big to Governments. Ncube and Cleophas also agreed on the lack of coherent and synchronized tourism policies that should govern tourism in Africa.

On that note, the ATB Chairman launched an appeal to the National Federation of Hospitality Industry of  Cote d-Ivoire to join the fight alongside ATB for a great victory and the shining of Africa as a common motherland.

Finally on behalf of his colleagues, the chairman Mr. LOLO Diby Cleophas officially declared the enrollment of his organization FNIH-CI as a destination member of the African Tourism Board and promised to keep in contact with the ATB Ambassador Mr. Joseph GRAH to further develop the relationship.

Ivory Coast agreed on an operational strategy to better promote tourism inline with ATB’ss vision and guidelines.

A photo was taken at the end of the meeting to immortalize the visit of the ATB Chairman at the office.