The Africa Travel Association's 35th Annual Africa Congress is scheduled to take place in The Gambia, "the Smiling Coast of Africa", from May 17-20, 2010.

This year's congress will be co-hosted by both The Gambian Ministry of Tourism and Culture and The Gambia Hotel Association (GHA) among other private sector partners. The 2010 congress builds on this country's longstanding ties with ATA, dating back to 1984 when the Association held its ninth congress in Banjul. Under the banner of Public-Private Partnership for Tourism, the Congress will be attended by more than 300 travel experts and industry professionals, including tourism ministers, tourism board heads, travel agents and tour operators who market, sell and specialise in Africa, airline representatives, travel trade media and hoteliers. Hospitality, tourism and African studies faculty and students are also invited to grace the occasion.

The congress is expected to take place alongside an ECOWAS ministerial meeting, tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of Tuesday, May 20, 2010. This year's event would also be used  to convene a Ministerial Roundtable on the Future for Tourism in Africa. In addition to ample networking opportunities and gala dinners, during the four-day event, the congress will engage delegates in discussions on a range of industry topics, such as public-private sector partnership, marketing and branding, industry standards, and industry trends (i.e. eco-, culinary, heritage, medical and culture, tourism, climate change, etc.). For the second year, ATA will organise a marketplace for buyers and sellers specialising in Destination Africa.

The event will also avail the delegates the opportunity to explore leading sites in The Gambia, including the Roots Heritage Tour and the world renowned Mandina Eco-Tourism Lodge in the Makasutu Forest on a few host country trips. ATA's Young Professionals Network will also convene at the congress. This will have a lot to contribute to the congress. The officials to this event strongly urge all stakeholders to be a part of this hallmark event where they will continue ATA's 35-year tradition of sharing knowledge and building partnerships for tourism promotion across the continent.

Once more we wish to inform our esteemed readers that in our subsequent weekly publication of tourisphere, we intend to carry out opinions of stakeholders in the tourism sector.