The 9th Routes Africa, the largest route development event in Africa, willopen this weekend in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The event will bring togetherthe leading airports, airlines, tourism authorities, policy-makers and aviationstakeholders to develop new air services to, from and within Africa. Hosted bythe Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, Routes Africa 2014 will take place atthe Elephant Hills Hotel and Resort 22-24 June.
Over 350 delegates are expected to attend the event representing 40 leadingairlines, 50 airports and 15 tourism authorities. Africa¡¯s three main airlines,Kenya Airways, South African Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, are joined by twoof the big Gulf carriers (Emirates and Etihad Airways) and global carriers suchas British Airways, Iberia Airlines and Condor Airlines who are looking intoexpanding their network to the continent. Low cost carriers, which areincreasingly shaping the face of aviation in Africa, will also be out in forcewith registrations received from pan-African low-cost carrier Fastjet as wellas Comair, Fly540 and start-up carrier FlyAfrica.com.
Honourable Engineer Walter Mzembi (MP), Minister of Tourism andHospitality, Zimbabwe, commented: "From the theatre of travel, Tourism is aboutmovement of people, and herein lies the critical importance of conferences suchas Routes Africa 2014 taking place in this historical town of Victoria Falls,one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is with great honour that my countryZimbabwe was recently bestowed with the World Best Tourism Destination and theFavourite Cultural Destination for 2014 by the European Council on Tourism andTrade, being the first such award for an African country. It is abundantlyclear that Africa needs to gain mileage in the sphere of physical travel aswell as administratively facilitating travel. Air connectivity is the umbilicalcord that links tourism destinations and its source markets. As we look atTravel Tourism with new eyes, let us, at the regional and continental levels,stay connected, focused on cooperation, value addition and super service inorder for our beloved continent Africa, to grow its share of the global tourismmarket. It is not a coincidence that Routes Africa 2014 is focusing on airconnectivity issues as one of the strategic ¡®gates¡¯ in boosting tourism."
The Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Mr Karikoga Kaseke,expressed joy on the occasion of hosting the 2014 Routes Africa in Zimbabwe."We are extremely happy that this strategic conference has come to Zimbabwe, ata time when the issue of the accessibility of regional destinations istopical," said Kaseke, continuing: "As we continue to host more conferences inZimbabwe, this one is unique in that it focuses on airline routes developmentin Africa and we hope it will help address the access challenges that usuallyaffect all destinations on our continent. Tourism development in Africa willonly move forward when we foster regional packages. It is my sincere hope thatall Tourism Boards present at this conference will see the importance ofpartnerships with the aviation industry and beyond."
Katie Bland, Director Routes for UBM Live said: "Africa is one of the mostdynamic and exciting aviation markets in the world right now. The continentmight well become the most important geographic part of the world over the next100 years, which is why African airlines are getting stronger and stronger, andcarriers from all over the world are increasingly tapping the African market.The decisions taken at Routes Africa will be decisive in shaping the future ofaviation in Africa for years to come."
One of the highlights of the event will be the Routes Africa StrategySummit which, taking place over two days, will open the event on Sunday 22ndJune. Attendees will hear from a number of high-level speakers, includingHonourable Engineer Walter Mzembi (MP), Minister of Tourism and Hospitality,Zimbabwe, Minister Fernando Maquengo, Minister of Transport and Public Works,Sao Tome and Principe, Dr. Elijah Chingosho, Secretary General of AFRAA,Raphael Kuuchi, IATA¡¯s Vice President for Africa, Edmund Makona, Acting CEO,Air Zimbabwe, Christophe Allard, CEO, Korongo Airlines, Saxen van Coller, CEO,Dube TradePort Corporation and Richard Bodin, Chief Commercial Officer ofFastjet.