Dr. Taleb Rifai leading the African Tourism Board COVID 19 Tourism Task Force for Africa
Almasalla news | Arab Tourism Portal News
The COVID 19 Tourism Task Force for Africa was established by the African Tourism Board on Friday. With COVID-19 cases now spreading in many African countries, the African Tourism Board (ATB)is the first international organization representing African Interest to go all out against the threat of the deadly coronavirus in Africa and destroying the continent’s travel and tourism industry.
African Tourism Board is giving Africa an important voice in having established the COVID 19 Tourism Task Force for Africa on Friday. ATB was the first organization to take a tough stand and voiced support for border closing and air interruption. ATB’s message to Africa was to stay home and allow tourism to prosper later.
This message was established before the canceled ITB trade show in Berlin earlier this month According to a press release issued by ATB today, the organization recognized Africa is no longer exempt from the rapid spread of this deadly virus, saying tourism must protect itself. With the launch of the COVID 19 Tourism Task Force for Africa, the African Tourism Board is taking an important step to give Africa a strong voice on a global stage.
ATB Chairman Cuthbert Ncube told eTurboNews: “I see our role as having the interest of our African travel and tourism industry in mind. The victim in the coronavirus situation clearly is the travel and tourism industry. We are more fragile in Africa than anyplace else in the world.
The goal of this task force will be to act efficiently and fast, giving our members and African stakeholders an important voice and help to minimize the impact of this global challenge .” ATB in its press release stated the task force will be able to react to this emerging crisis on a daily basis. It will be flexible enough to adjust its activities constantly without having to delay the process by a time-consuming decisionmaking process.
The task force was invited by Gloria Guevara, CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to join their crisis committee.
Joining the growing team of this newly established task force are known tourism celebrities operating under the leadership of Dr. Taleb Rifai, patron, who was the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for almost 8 years. Joining also is ATB president and former Minister of Tourism for Seychelles Alain St. Ange, and Dr Peter Tarlow a renowned international expert in travel, tourism, and health.
Dr. Tarlow has managed tourism safety and security projects for Safertourism.com as well as training of tourism police around the globe. Dr. Tarlow also teaches medicine at the University in Texas, USA. He was appointed by ATB as their safety and security expert at the official launch of the organization in April 2019 during WTM Cape Town. He assisted ATB destinations during the Ebola crisis, and during a kidnapping incident involving an American tourist.
The COVID 19 Tourism Task Force for Africa is in direct contact with sitting ministers and heads of African National and Regional Tourism Boards and tourism associations. ATB’s goal is to expand the task group and have a ministerial advisory committee working alongside the group. The African Tourism Board’s philosophy is to see tourism as a catalyst for unity, peace, growth, prosperity, job creation – for the people of Africa.
ATB’s vision: Where Africa becomes ONE tourism destination of choice in the world. Source: African Tourism Board: www.africantourismboard.com
