Report 2023

The Africa Chapter of ATLAS in 2023 continues to be led by Professor Karen Harris and Mr C.R. Botha. Similar to the successes of 2022, 2023 was an eventful year for this regional Chapter. The latter culminating around three key events.

Firstly, ATLAS Africa had a meeting, at the CultSense & ATLAS SIG Cultural Tourism Conference in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with the University of Zululand, South Africa to discuss the hosting of an in-person conference on the continent in 2024 or 2025 in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This meeting was a productive discussion, where the emphasis on collaboration, cooperation and the need for the sustainable and responsible promotion of tourism, hospitality and leisure research in Africa were established to be key drivers behind the organizing of the future event. In this meeting ATLAS was represented by Vice Chairperson of ATLAS, Dr Corné Dijkmans from Breda University of Applied Science, Ms. Leontine Onderwater of ATLAS, Professor Karen Harris Board member for ATLAS Africa from the University of Pretoria, and Professor Thandi Nzama and Dr. Samukelisiwe Mildred Nkwanyana from the University of Zululand. The aforementioned event was held at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication.

Picture (left to right): Professor T. Nzama (University of Zululand); Mx. Leontine Onderwater (ATLAS); Dr. M. Smith (Conference Keynote Speaker); Professor K. Harris (ATLAS Africa; University of Pretoria) and Dr. S.M. Nkwanyana (University of Zululand).

Secondly, a hybrid book launch was held to commemorate and honor the extensive work and influence of the late Professor B. Wishitemi and his involvement in sustainable tourism development in Africa, as well as his affiliation to ATLAS Africa during the Chapter’s founding years. The book entitled, “Tourism, climate change and biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa” edited by R.Okech, D. Kieti and R. Van Der Duim, was produced and showcased at this event as part of his legacy work on the continent. This insightful and thought-provoking piece of literature was in turn published by the Centre for African Studies in Leiden in the Netherlands, with the event in part being organized by ATLAS and the MOI University located in Kessis, Kenya. The aforesaid publication is an open access source and can be downloaded at the below link.

Picture: In honor of Professor B. Wishitemi – Tourism, climate change and biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa.
Link: https://scholarlypublications.universiteitleiden.nl/handle/1887/3514070

Lastly, the 2023 graduate student cohort in the Heritage and Cultural Tourism Honours degree in the Department of Historical and Heritage Studies in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Pretoria will once again present an annual student-led webinar, in collaboration with ATLAS and ATLAS Africa, to showcase their successes and growth within this postgraduate program’s tourism business and entrepreneurship incubator (UP Campus Tours). In keeping with the 2023 ATLAS CultSense theme, this year’s cohort will present on the topic of “Tourism and Cultural Diversity: the UPCT way”, with the event to be livestreamed on YouTube in late October 2023. This year’s student cohort is made of the following five postgraduate students: Ms. Monique Olivier, Ms Elmien Viktor, Ms Anelisiwe Dinizulu, Ms Marli Rheeder and Ms Kaylin Kemsley. More information is to follow on this virtual event in due course on all ATLAS platforms.

Picture (top down): Ms Monique Olivier; Ms Anelisiwe Dinizulu; Ms Marli Rheeder; Ms Elmien Viktor; and Ms Kaylin Kemsley.

ATLAS Africa continues to work to grow its network in 2024, and is similarly looking to further expanding its teaching, learning and research frameworks in tourism, hospitality and leisure with other African universities across the continent in the short and long-term.