The World Food Travel Association (WFTA), the world’s leading authority on food tourism, and the Africa Travel Association (ATA), the world’s leading travel industry trade association promoting tourism to Africa, announced today the signing of a memorandum of understanding that supports both organisations’ endeavors to market and promote awareness of African food and drink to the world’s travelers.

Under the new partnership agreement, WFTA and ATA will promote each other’s events in the U.S. and Africa; explore collaborative product development and strategy projects; promote each other’s’ news; speak at each other’s events; and explore options for strengthening the partnership and conducting joint research. WFTA and ATA will also consider cooperating more closely on travel trade industry events linking the Americas and Africa.

“WFTA is proud to collaborate with ATA. Many food travelers seek the new and different food opportunities and Africa represents an exciting opportunity for them with its wealth of cuisines,” said Erik Wolf, WFTA Executive Director. “With obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and food allergies soaring, foodies world-wide also seek the health benefits of original native cuisines. Africa represents a wealth of new opportunity for them.”

Edward Bergman, ATA Executive Director, spoke about how the partnership emphasises the importance of diversifying Africa’s travel products. “As the tourism industry grows in Africa, innovative strategies and tools are needed to attract visitors to different areas of the continent and to capture their attention in non-peak seasons. ATA is thrilled to partner with WFTA to raise awareness of the role food tourism can play in product development and differentiation”

The signing of the partnership agreement between the two associations builds on WFTA’s contribution to ATA’s most recent research report called, Africa Tourism Monitor. In the issue. Mr. Wolf wrote about how to develop a food tourism strategy.