ATTA gets a new leader at a time of strengthening African tourism
The appointment of Virginia Messina to the position of Group Chief Executive Officer of ATTA, the African Travel and Tourism Association, comes at a sensitive yet highly dynamic moment for the African tourism sector. This is a personnel move that goes beyond the usual change at the top of a professional organization, because it is happening in a period in which Africa is increasingly consolidating its position on the global tourism map, while regional organizations are trying to secure a more visible place in discussions on sustainability, transport connectivity, investments, and the rules of international travel. According to a report by the specialized portal eTurboNews dated March 25, 2026, ATTA has appointed Virginia Messina as its new Group CEO, a manager with many years of experience in global tourism advocacy and in working with governments, international institutions, and the private sector.
Such a development fits into the broader market picture. According to the latest UN Tourism data, international tourism continued to grow during 2025, and Africa was the world’s fastest-growing region in terms of the growth of international arrivals. The continent is estimated to have recorded around 81 million international tourist arrivals last year, which is eight percent more than in 2024. Even more importantly for the industry, the growth did not remain merely a statistical footnote in global reports, but was also confirmed through growing market interest, stronger air connectivity, the return of long-haul guests, and stronger demand for specialized, sustainable, and more experience-rich travel.
Why the choice of Virginia Messina matters
Virginia Messina is not a new name in tourism. She is best known for her work at the World Travel & Tourism Council, WTTC, where for years she held leading roles related to public policy, communications, research, and industry relations. Available professional profiles and WTTC publications show that she was one of the people within the global tourism industry who connected the business sector, governments, and international organizations, especially on the topics of sustainability, the regulatory framework, investment, and the alignment of the interests of major tourism stakeholders. Before her international career, she worked in the Mexican government, including in the tourism portfolio, and also participated in processes connected with Mexico’s presidency of the G20, when tourism entered discussions on economic growth more strongly.
It is precisely this experience that is one of the reasons why her appointment can also be read as a signal of ATTA’s own ambitions. That organization does not want to remain merely a network of members and business meetings for the African tourism sector, but is trying to position itself as a relevant voice of the continent in international discussions about the future of travel. On its official website, ATTA states that it represents the interests of African tourism at the highest levels and that it continuously cooperates with tourism ministries, tourism boards, and associations across Africa. This means that at the top of the organization it is seeking a person who can simultaneously understand the business logic of the industry, public policy, and the complex reputational image of the continent in source markets.
ATTA had already previously announced the expansion of the Group CEO role
That the appointment did not come unexpectedly is also confirmed by ATTA’s official announcement from the end of 2025, when the organization opened a recruitment process for the new position of Group Chief Executive Officer. In that announcement, ATTA explicitly stated that it was seeking an experienced leader who would ensure strategic leadership, managerial oversight, and commercial coordination across the entire group, that is, the association, the events business, and the charitable arm ATTA for Action. From the job description, it was clear that the organization wanted to more strongly unify membership, events, advocacy, and international representation, while also strengthening its status as the “authoritative voice” of African tourism.
In other words, Messina’s appointment is not just a personnel change, but the implementation of a model that ATTA had already strategically set. In addition, it is worth recalling that in September 2024 ATTA appointed a new chief executive, Kgomotso Ramotheu, and a new chair, James Haigh, thereby opening a new phase of managerial restructuring. The introduction of a group function at the very top further shows that the organization wants to connect its operational and representative capacities more strongly. In practice, this means better coordination between members, trade fair and B2B events, media representation, and influence on broader tourism policy.
Africa is no longer just a market of potential, but a market of results
When speaking about the “momentum” of African tourism, such wording is no longer merely promotional. UN Tourism data for 2025 show that Africa led regional growth in international arrivals, while some countries achieved double-digit growth rates. North Africa stood out in particular, while some sub-Saharan destinations also recorded strong results. This further strengthened the perception of the continent as a space that is not merely returning to pre-pandemic levels, but in some segments is going even further, especially where travel safety, air accessibility, natural heritage, and differentiated tourism products are successfully combined.
However, the numbers alone do not explain everything. African tourism has become more important in recent years also because the structure of demand is changing. The high-spending segment, the safari market, luxury and boutique travel, adventure programs, community-based experiences, nature conservation, and an offer that relies on authenticity are increasingly becoming decisive factors in the purchase of travel packages. In ATTA’s trade brief for March 2026, it is emphasized that the safari market is not shrinking, but “refining,” with buyers increasingly seeking sustainability, transparency, lower itinerary density, higher-quality guiding, and stronger involvement of local communities. Such a tone clearly shows that the market has become more demanding, but also more mature.
This is especially important for an organization like ATTA. If Africa no longer wants to be represented only through general images of exoticism and wilderness, but as a space of a serious, diverse, and competitive tourism product, then its leading professional association must also communicate differently. This includes more precise messages to tour operators, stronger advocacy toward governments and investors, but also more convincing presentation of African destinations at major international events. Messina’s experience is strongest precisely in that zone of translating sectoral interests into the language of international policy and business diplomacy.
Connectivity, investment, and reputation remain key issues
Although the continent is in a strong upward cycle, the challenges have not disappeared. One of the most important remains air connectivity. At multiple UN Tourism and African sector forums in recent years, it has been emphasized that without more stable and accessible air links, Africa can hardly fully capitalize on tourism growth. This is not only about international flights from Europe, the Middle East, or North America, but also about connectivity within the continent itself, which in many cases remains expensive, logistically demanding, or insufficiently developed. In its more recent publications, ATTA therefore explicitly links market growth with operational stability, airline schedules, and long-term contractual clarity.
The second major challenge is reputation. In tourism promotion, Africa still often faces simplified external perceptions, whereby very different countries and regions are viewed as one single, homogeneous space. This not only complicates marketing but also investment, because investors, carriers, and major partners seek clear and reliable information on the regulatory framework, stability, sustainability, and market potential of individual destinations. Organizations such as ATTA are therefore increasingly taking on the role of intermediaries between local realities and the global tourism discourse. In such work, it is not enough to be a good event organizer; it is also necessary to have credibility in the international arena.
The third challenge concerns sustainability, which is no longer an add-on to promotional campaigns, but an operational condition. This is especially visible in safari and nature tourism, where buyers and partners are increasingly asking for proof of revenue distribution to local communities, ethical rules for wildlife viewing, the protection of migration corridors, and route planning with less environmental impact. In that sense, African tourism has both an advantage and a responsibility. The advantage is that many destinations still possess an exceptionally strong natural and cultural foundation. The responsibility is that it will retain long-term competitiveness only if growth does not undermine precisely what makes it attractive.
What Messina can bring to ATTA
In international tourism organizations, the most important currencies are not only the number of members or the size of events, but access, influence, and the ability to shape the discussion. Virginia Messina could bring the greatest value to ATTA precisely through those three elements. Her biography indicates that she knows well how governments, corporations, associations, and international institutions think. Such a profile is especially important at a time when Africa wants a greater share in defining global priorities, whether it is the green transition in tourism, digitalization, travel standards, visa regimes, or investment models.
Messina’s appointment can also be seen as an attempt for ATTA to capitalize more strongly on the growing international attention toward Africa. Demand is rising, but competition for the attention of buyers, investors, and the media is also rising. In that context, the association needs a leader who can speak convincingly in London, Brussels, Dubai, Johannesburg, or Nairobi, but also recognize the difference between the market interests of the private sector and the development priorities of individual destinations. If she succeeds in linking those two worlds, ATTA could further strengthen its position as a platform that connects not only sellers and buyers, but also industry strategy with public policy.
At the same time, one should not expect that one person alone will change the structural conditions of African tourism. But she can change the level of influence of an organization that brings together a large part of the sector. This means clearer messages to source markets, a stronger presence in discussions about connectivity and investment, more visible advocacy of sustainability, and better coordination within the ATTA group itself. That was precisely the core of the officially published description of the Group CEO role.
A new phase for the organization and the sector
Taken together, all of this shows that the appointment of Virginia Messina comes at a time when both the organization and the continent are in transition toward a more demanding phase of development. After a period of recovery, the focus is shifting from the mere growth of numbers to the quality of growth, the distribution of benefits, market positioning, and the ability to present Africa as a complex, competitive, and globally relevant tourism space. In such a phase, ATTA needs not only administrative leadership, but a person who can help ensure that African tourism is more strongly represented where business decisions, travel trends, and international standards are shaped. That is why this appointment carries weight beyond the personnel news itself: it is also an indication that African tourism is entering a period in which it no longer seeks only the world’s attention, but also a more serious influence on the rules by which that world travels.
Sources:- eTurboNews – news on the appointment of Virginia Messina as Group CEO of ATTA dated March 25, 2026. (link)
- ATTA – official announcement of the recruitment process for the role of Group Chief Executive Officer, with a description of the role and the group’s strategic objectives (link)
- ATTA – official announcement of the appointment of Kgomotso Ramothee as CEO and James Haigh as chair in September 2024, as context for management changes (link)
- ATTA – official organization website, description of ATTA’s role in representing the interests of African tourism (link)
- UN Tourism – World Tourism Barometer and overview of global tourism developments for 2025, including growth in international arrivals and regional trends (link)
- UN Tourism – news on the growth of international tourist arrivals in 2025 and the continuation of strong global demand for travel (link)
- PATA – profile of Virginia Messina with an overview of her work at WTTC and her previous engagement in the Mexican government and tourism (link)
- WTTC – official organization page with a description of WTTC’s role and leadership in the global tourism sector (link)
- ATTA – March 2026 Trade Brief on changes in the safari market, sustainability, and buyer behavior in East Africa (link)
Find accommodation nearby
Creation time: 5 hours ago