Home » AKWAABA Travel Market launches AFRICA BANTABA in Atlanta USA in partnership with African Diaspora Awards

AKWAABA Travel Market launches AFRICA BANTABA in Atlanta USA in partnership with African Diaspora Awards

by Atqnews
0 comments

After the success of the historic inaugural African Diaspora World Tourism (ADWT) Awards and Travel Expo, the next ADWT- awards event will take place on April 15-17th, 2016 in Atlanta, Ga. (USA).  The ADWT-Awards event will again be presented by African Diaspora Tourism with publisher Kitty J. Pope as the founder/director and executive producer of the event. Co-presenter is the AD King Foundation with its CEO Dr. Babs Onabanjo who is the ADWT-Awards’ founding executive producer/ producer.
Also helping to produce this awards event is Africa’s tourism guru Ikechi Uko, a foremost travel branding expert from Nigeria who will present an African Tourism dr. babscomponent, and Rev. Eugene Franklin, founder of the Florida Black Camber of Commerce who will present a Pan African Tourism component.  Lou D’Amore, founder/CEO of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism is also partnering to help with the 2016 ADWT-Awards and Travel Expo.

Like the previous one, this awards event week-end will include the awards Gala, cultural entertainment, a Hall of Fame Luncheon and a Travel Expo. The ADWT-Awards event will feature two new components where event attendees can learn various aspects about African Tourism as well as Diaspora Tourism. The two new components are: 1) Bantaba: Africa Comes to her Diaspora and 2) The Green Book Summit: The Pan African Cultural Heritage Tourism Roundtable. In addition to having seminars and informative meetings, Bantaba and the Green Book Summit will be a part of the Travel Expo. These two new additions to the ADWT-Awards and Travel Expo guarantees something for everyone interested in black cultural heritage tourism.

 

Creator of the Africa Bantaba is Ikechi Uko, who is the publisher of Africa Travel Quarterly, the first travel magazine and website on tourism in West Africa. Uko will present Africa Bantaba at the ADWT-Awards event which will be the first ever comprehensive African Tourism marketplace in the Diaspora. Uko is the founder of Akwaaba Travel Market, the largest travel expo in West Africa where travel professionals from all over the world attend. In an effort to support tourism in his country, Uko spearheaded and implemented the Naija Seven Wonders project that highlights seven breathtaking places in Nigeria. Obviously very knowledgeable and savy about tourism branding, Uko says that he has been thinking of the idea of doing an  event bringing countries and the tourism industry of Africa to her Diaspora in one setting since it has never been done. “Doing this as a part of the ADWT-Awards event is ideal since people attend from all over the US and the Diaspora, as well as Africa,” says Uko who just launched the tourism event WEIZO in Ghana, an event that brings together major tourism players and honors outstanding West African Tourism professionals.

 

Presenting the Green Book Summit is Rev. Eugene Franklin, founder of the Pan African Cultural Heritage Institute and founder/CEO of the National Cultural Heritage Tourism Center. Ushering in the “Modern-Day Pan African American Cultural Tourism Movement,” Rev. Franklin, a retired Naval Lieutenant Commander, is a leader who says that his goal is to bring the black cultural heritage tourism industry together under one roof in such a way that those involved will be able to move to a new level. “This is a socio-economic movement where business owners and leaders in the cultural heritage industry can all benefit,” explains Rev. Franklin. “Members and businesses will have the opportunity to be a part of the Pan African Cultural Heritage Market Place.” The Green Book Summit is named for the first black travel guide in the Americas that was written during the Jim Crow Era that instructed blacks on safe travel and lodging. Once called the The Negro Travelers’ Green Book, the popular guide which was available from 1936 until the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 was published by Victor H. Green.

 

International Honorary Chair Persons for the 2016 ADWT-Awards event include Dr. Ewart Brown, the former Premier of Bermuda who was the recipient of the inaugural ADWT-Awards Person of the Year for his leadership in igniting the concept of African Diaspora Heritage Trails as a tourism product. Aslo serving as an honorary chair is Ms. Naomi King, sister-in-law of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and co-founder of the AD King Foundation who received the inaugural ADWT-Awards Heritage Site of the Year for the King Center, and Joe Beasley of an international humanitarian and founder of the Joe Beasley Foundation, Both Beasley and King were also a chair for the inaugural ADWT-Awards event.  Lou D’Amore of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism will also serve as an honorary chair. D’Amore organization is also a strategic partner for helping to present the Awards event.

 

The 2016 ADWT- Awards and Travel Expo is proud to announce that there are two women leaders of royalty from Africa on board as International Honorary Chair Persons:

 

Mother Queen Best K. Olimi – Born into royalty as the daughter of Prince Mujuni of the Batuku clan of thequeen best Bundibugyo District, Queen Olimi is the Mother Queen of the Tooro Kingdom of Uganda. She is the birth mother of King Rukirabasaija Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, the young ruler of the Toro Kingdom, now in his 20’s who made history when he came to power at the age of three, and now rules over about 2 million people as the World’s Youngest Monarch.  Queen Olimi is a founding leader and the current Continental President of The African Queen and Women Cultural Leaders Network (AQWCLN), an organization that was launched by Uganda’s President Museveni for bringing together African Queens and women cultural leaders to leverage children and women empowerment at grass roots levels. Mother Queen Best is also the Ugandan Patron of Zonta International, a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through services and advocacy.

 

Senator Senator Princess Florence Ita-Giwa –As the daughter of a paramount ruler of her native land of Bakassi, Nigeira, Florence Ita-Giwa was raised in royalty as a princess. She went on to launch a career in nursing, pharmaceuticals, and the oil and gas industries. In 1992 Princess Ita-Giwa became a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until 2003 where she has served as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she served as Deputy Leader, Vice Chairperson Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Youths Development, Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Special Duties and Member of seven other Senate Committee. She is the President General Bakassi People Self Determination Front and Chairperson Bakassi Trust Fund and Founder of Children of Bakassi Foundation and Women in Action.  With many top awards to her credit, for her work in government,  charity and community development efforts, Senator Princess Ita-Giwa was two (2) times special adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 

The ADWT- Awards events will take place at the Georgia International Convention Center. Please check back at AfricanDiasporaTourism.com for forthcoming information about this event. Sponsors, participating tourism destinations and organizations, master of ceremony, presenters and key note speakers to be announced.

 

http://africandiasporatourism.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1176:second-historic-african-diaspora-world-tourism-awards-and-set-for-april-15-17th-2016-in-atlanta-&catid=115:events-4&Itemid=71

 

 

 

You may also like

Leave a Comment

ATQnews.com

ATQnews.com® a member of Travel Media Group is the online platform for African Travel Quarterly (ATQ), the first travel magazine in West Africa which solely focuses on travel and tourism issues. 

ATQNEWS

Latest News

ATQNEWS @2024 – All Right Reserved.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?
-
00:00
00:00
Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00