#ATFL2018 ORGANIZERS ANNOUNCE MASTERCLASS DETAILS
(Posted 01st August 2018)
Marina Novelli(PhD), a Professor of Tourism and International Development at the University of Brighton (UK), which is an Affiliate Member of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has been chosen to lead Sustainable Tourism Product Development Masterclass on the margins of the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum and Awards taking place on 30 and 31 August, 2018, Accra, Ghana. She is also an internationally renowned tourism policy, planning and development expert.
At the University of Brighton, Professor Novelli is also Academic Lead for the Responsible Futures’ Research and Enterprise portfolio aimed at fostering interdisciplinary and international collaborations. In fact, it is under the Responsible Futures’ programme of international engagements that Professor Novelli and the University of Brighton are actively supporting the 1st Africa Tourism Leadership Forum.
Professor Novelli says, “It is a privilege to be invited to contribute to the first-ever Africa Tourism Leadership Forum, which is a unique industry-focused event, providing an exceptional opportunity to bridge the gap between academia and the practitioners’ world. I am looking forward to jointly explore ways to address the multifaceted challenges faced by the tourism sector in the continent. This will no doubt be a productive dialogue and a great platform to consolidate existing and forge new collaborations in the continent.”
Prof. Novelli has mentored several African professionals and continues inspiring many young generations of Africans, through her academic and practitioner work. Over the past 18 years, Professor Novelli has written and advised extensively in the field of international sustainable tourism policy, planning, development and management in some 20 destinations in Africa. She has plaid core advisory roles on a number of projects funded by the World Bank, the EU, the UN, the UN World Tourism Organisation, the Commonwealth Secretariat, National Ministries and Tourism Boards, Regional Development Agencies and NGOs in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as Europe and Asia. She is author of Tourism and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Contemporary Issues and Local Realities (2016, Oxford: Routledge) and her work has demonstrated to have impact far beyond tourism by contributing to more effective economic growth, improved environments and more inclusive societies.
Kwakye Donkor, the convener of ATLF says Professor Novelli, is an Italian by birth, but a true African by adoption. “We have been many in appreciating her strong professional commitment to fostering peer-to-peer collaborations for good change in Africa. She always goes beyond her call of duty, but most importantly she known for putting at the centre of her engagements the interests of the most under-privileged communities.” Prof. Novelli has mentored several African professionals and continues inspiring many young generations of Africans, through her academic and practitioner work. “It is for these very reasons that Professor Novelli was chosen to lead the Masterclass on Sustainable Tourism Product Development and to co-chair the Committee for the first Africa Tourism Leadership Awards with Judy Kepher Gona, founder of Sustainable Travel & Tourism Agenda based in Kenya.”, he states.
We urge prospective delegates to register at: www.tourismleadershipforum.africa to attend, access full programme and awards nomination form.
