A team of ATA experts was in the South West to inspect tourist facilities ahead of the international congress in 2013.The four man delegation from African Travel Association, ATA, head office in New York, USA, last weekend visited hotels and tourist sites in Buea and Limbe in the South West Region. The team of experts revealed during their sojourn in the South West Region that the 38th Congress of ATA shall
hold in Buea in May 2013.The members of the ATA delegation undertook a guarded tour to the Mountain Hotel still under construction, the Parliamentary flat Hotel before driving to Limbe through Sasse where they were fascinated by the tea plantations in Tole in the outskirts of Buea. While in Limbe, the team accompanied by the South West Regional Delegate of Tourism, Peter Pel Elangwe and the Director of Tourism Enterprises in the Ministry of Tourism, Daniel Mukete Modika stopped over at the state owned Atlantic Beach hotel before proceeding to the historic Bimbia Slave Trade market, the Bakingili lava flow deposits amongst other attractions.Speaking to CT, ATA Board member, Senegalese born American who preferred to be identified as Mr. Africa, expressed satisfaction after the tour. ??I am sure the Cameroon congress will be a very successful one because our first visit here is very positive,?? he said. He added that the structures on the ground are beautiful though more needs to be done to meet up with international standards because delegates for the congress will come from across the world.The ATA inspection team could not hide their feelings of satisfaction especially after visiting the Slave Trade market where they saw historical relics at the site. Angela Gerrow and Sharon Roling, all members of the team noted with delight that delegates for the congress would have a lot of interesting sites to see and that African Americans would be particularly glad to see their heritage. However, the experts recommended that accessibility to tourist sites should be improved upon so that movement in and out of the sites should be comfortable.The 38th congress of ATA shall bring together over 500 delegates ranging from tourism operators, airline companies universities and international investors. Created in 1975, the African Travel Association, ATA, aims at promoting African tourism destination and encourage African Americans to come back home to know their culture through ??Home coming Diaspora festival jamboree??.
