[1965 – 1975]

According to Late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi, Nigerian Tourism Czar, the African Travel Commission [ATC] was created to function just like the European Travel Commission [ETC] in the mid-sixties shortly after many African independent countries started running their own affairs.

With many of those countries creating and establishing agencies and departments to run the affairs of their various countries, a few of them with tourism agencies got involved with the few international travel and tourism bodies that were in existence then, especially the International Union of Official Travel Organisations [IUOTO] through which most countries came together for collaboration to promote tourism.

Like the European Travel Commission [ETC] that was established in 1948 as a regional commission for Europe under IUOTO, African Travel Commission [ATC] was established as a regional voice for Africa.

Interestingly, ATC did not just come into existence to learn from the people running IUOTO then, but were able to contribute meaningfully and initiated reforms that saw the transformation of IUOTO to World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO] before its retransformation in 2003 into United Nations World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO]; a specialised agency of the United Nations [UN] in the field of tourism.

ATC is a Non-Profit Organisation [NPO] established to provide a platform where tourism officials and business professionals could meet and collaborate; as well as, connect experts and stakeholders that have shared vision across the travel and tourism industry.

IUOTO in its documents credited the ATC with the vision and initiation of September 27th that is being celebrated globally today as world Tourism Day [WTD].

OUR STRUCTURE
ATC activities are to be implemented by the Executive Unit based in Accra, Ghana under the guidance of the Board of Directors, and with the support of a number of expert groups.

EXECUTIVE UNIT
The Executive Director is supported by managers with requisite credentials in the following areas.

1. Head Administration and Finance. 2. Head Marketing and Research 3. Head Corporate Communications/Protocol4. Head Membership and Events 5. Head Government Relations and Diasporas.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The board will be made up of representations from the geopolitical zones of the continent and professional individuals; as well as corporate entities/organisations /institutions:

1. West Africa
2. North Africa
3. Southern Africa
4. East Africa
5. Central Africa

MEMBERSHIPS

1. Full Members
2. Associate Members

RELATIONSHIP WITH INSTITUTIONS
The African Travel Commission [ATC] is at the point of cementing a long-term strategic partnership with the African Development Bank Group [AfDB] in promoting Africa as a tourism destination of choice for Africans and its large Diasporas.
Aside from the above, the AfDB has also assured ATC of its financial and technical support going forward with the view to encouraging intra-Africa promotion and marketing in third countries.