Four years after the launch of Accra Weizo as a platform for the growth of seamless travel in West Africa, a new association for private sector players in the region has emerged. The vision of Accra Weizo at launch was to turn the 15 countries and its 380 million people into a domestic tourism destination. It has taken four years for the organizers of Weizo to reach out to over 150 travel and tour operators in West Africa from 6 countries to start a regional association that will drive tourism in the region.
The interim board of West African Travel and Tourism Alliance (WATTA) will be announced and inaugurated at Accra Weizo June 23 at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra.
Accra Weizo is one of the events geared towards getting West Africans to cooperate amongst themselves. but tourism is still lagging in the region. The region receives among the lowest tourism figures per capita in Africa.
The ECOWAS region despite a protocol of free movement has not grown Intra regional tourism and travel. At Weizo this year, Ghana’s Minister of Aviation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, will be opening the event with a paper titled ‘Harnessing the Opportunities in Aviation Value Chain in West Africa.’
The first day will be the seminar on aviation and the second day will be dedicated to ‘Travel, Tourism and the Internet’ session.
According to Mr. Ikechi Uko CEO of AKwaaba African Travel Market and Organiser of Accra Weizo, “Our events are geared towards capacity building and networking. After the success of Banjul Bantaba, we expect Ghana to surpass the Gambia experience.â€
