The African Travel & Tourism Association (Atta) has created a marketing subsidiary and made a series of appointments as part of its post-pandemic recovery plan.
Atta will retain its current structure as a pan-African membership association for buyers, suppliers, and specialists.
It has created Experience Africa Events, a wholly owned subsidiary of Atta, to provide the platform for promoting tourism to Africa.
As part of the changes, Kate Kenward will become managing director of Atta while Chris Mears takes on the role of managing director of Experience Africa Events.
Kenward is currently a consultant and director of the Atta management board and a former executive director of The Specialist Travel Association (Aito).
Mears has been Atta chief executive for the last four years and will establish the new stand-alone events and networking company within the African tourism community.
More: Atta appoints Kate Kenward to management board
Anita Powell, founder of Small World Marketing and the Africa Hub, has stepped down from Atta’s management board.
As one of Atta’s only three Fellows, she holds an ex officio place on Atta’s advisory board.
John Corse, Atta chair, said: “We see that the separation of our remit into its two distinct elements will allow greater focus on each and therefore provide members with greater energy on both sides.
“We will expand and improve the services, information, lobbying and support for our own members in international source markets and across Africa.
“Our signature exhibition, Experience Africa, will be held at the London Oval in June and through our new events company, we will enhance our marketing menu to cover all types of virtual and physical events.
“After a turbulent two years, we look forward to the repurposed Atta and our newly formed Experience Africa Events, leading our members and those in the greater African trade community, towards the re-establishment of our great travel and tourism industry.”