Capital City of tourism

African Tourism Capital Award
Asian Tourism Capital Award

Who we are?

"AAPSO" Afro-Asian Peoples' Solidarity Organization is a non-Government body emerging from the International Conference held in Bandung-Indonesia in 1955. And it is a global Non-Government Organization dedicated to the principles of national liberation and solidarity of under-developed and emerging countries’ people, spreading all kinds of love, peace, lenity and development in all aspects.
For that purpose, it was announced as an NGO in the name of the Afro-Asian Solidarity Council and during the first conference conducted by the organization in 1958 in its Cairo permanent headquarters, Arab Republic of Egypt. And in the presence of 607 participants out of its founding countries.
AAPSO main goal is sustainability. and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to transform our world. AAPSO call, is taking actions to end poverty, inequality, protect our planet, and ensure health, justice and prosperity of people.
AAPSO goals are in line with United Nations 2030 Agenda. The organization, with the presence of this large number of members around the world, is seriously working as a soft power to achieve the goals of 2030.
It has a special interest in supporting the tourism, investment, and health and wellness sectors, it has established a special sector for sustainable development.
In order to achieve these noble goals, AAPSO has established an executive arm, which is the African-Asian Union, (AFASU) to help achieving its goals within Asia and Africa.
AAPSO is currently globally headed by Prof. Dr. Helmy El-Hadidi – the former Minister of Health in the Arab Republic of Egypt, and it is under the financial and administrative supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Egypt.
The Afro-Asian People' Solidarity Organization (AAPSO) is a mass non-government organization with national committees, and their members in more than 90 countries in Asia and Africa and has associate member committees in Europe, Russia and Latin America.
It is an associate, active and observer member in many major international organizations such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the League of Arab States, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and most organizations in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
This is a highly significant global organization with a rich and extensive background in African and Asian nations. It holds the distinction of being the oldest non-governmental organization globally, with a widespread membership that extends beyond Africa and Asia.

Afro-Asian union (AFASU) For Tourism, Crafts, Development, Research, and E-Commerce

The Union is founded under the umbrella of (AAPSO) As an executive arm to achieve all the objectives of the parent organization.

AFASU is to support all sectors and local community to alleviate poverty and raising the quality of Life of people in the Afro-Asian member (90) countries of AFASU.

AFASU VISION:

We dream of Afro-Asian communities.
with rising levels of prosperity.
where employment and decent housing are accessible by all.
where health outcomes are excellent.
where vibrant community life emerges from diversity.
where all show compassion to those who are in need.
Where the two continents are integrated and solidarity in all fields.

AFASU Mission :

Eliminating Poverty Through Equity. One of the main causes of poverty is inequality.
Commit to climate change solutions and climate justice.
Eradicating poverty through education.
Halting poverty by ending hunger (and thirst).
Poverty alleviation through peace.
Cash solves poverty.
Supporting economic development.
Supporting Tourism and Handicraft Industry ,Good tourism supports and empowers the local economy and Handicrafts are an extensive representation of a region or nation's history and culture.
Increasing access to healthcare and encouraging healthy behavior;
Creating and sustaining public-private partnerships.
Supporting vocational training can help meet the needs of the labor market, promote economic growth and development, reduce unemployment and poverty, and address the skills gap that exists in the country.

AFASU values :

We invest in and strengthen our relationships and the relationship of our members. We work in team spirit and keep in mind that everyone that works with us and for us is personally involved in the lives of our community. This keeps us relationally connected to our neighbors and community. We intentionally invest in relationships as we invest in other aspects of community development.
We have a fighting spirit and we never give up we are here for the long-term, even when things get hard. We do not launch programs and then leave but we are here till our vision has been accomplished.
We work with great humility, love and sincerity, no matter how hard the work is. We learn and listen while we are at the height of humility.
Everything we do is built on an ethic of inclusion, diversity, and justice. Reconciliation is hard work and we are committed to building diverse relational bridges that lead to true justice.
Always believing in our goals.

THE AFASU Union aims to focus on a union supporting Africa and Asia development and integration in all sectors. (Tourism, handicrafts, development, technology, E-Commerce, training, etc.....)

President of AFASU:

AFASU Union has been founded & established under the presidency of Dr. Hossam Darwish – the first & current president in addition to being an international tourism expert, and one of the founders of the science of e-commerce, E-tourism, and digital marketing in the middle east.

Dr. Hossam Darwish worked for many and varied international organizations such as the United Nations and the League of Arab States (the Arab Tourism Organization). He organized dozens of local, Arab, and international conferences, seminars, and workshops, travelling around 71 countries.

He has participated, supported & supervised tens of Master & PHD theses all over the middle east, in addition to traveling across more than 55 countries, he has been honored domestically, regionally, and internationally for his well noted efforts in his specialties and spreading awareness for e-commerce and digital tourism & transformation & crafts in the Middle East.

He is a well-known speaker at all international forums in the field of tourism and travel, tourism marketing, E-tourism, in addition, Dr Hossam, is a pioneer in creating an innovative in all areas of digital and traditional tourism marketing, he also participated in setting the strategy for Arab tourism (ATO) in the League of Arab States.

Tourism:

Turning the disruption in tourism into new opportunities for improved competitiveness is essential for Asian and Africa’s recovery from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the main aim for AFASU union team.

The AFASU UNION has promptly taken action to help African and Asian countries in line with their goal. Representatives were dispatched to different nations in both regions to bolster tourism, medical tourism, and attract investments in the tourism sector. The union placed strong emphasis on assisting small and medium-sized businesses in investing in the tourism field.

Dr. Hossam Darwish, one of the creators of the concept of the Arab tourism capital that many countries vie for and take pride in, and in AFASU union has create various accolades for the tourism industry. The most significant among them is the "African Tourism Capital" Award and the "Asian Tourism Capital" Award, which are given annually to a city that meets the criteria established by a committee of renowned tourism professionals in all aspects.

What is the African / Asian Capital of Tourism Award?

AFASU is keen to launch the concept of the African Tourism Capital, and Asian Tourism Capital, as an annual competition and award in accordance with several criteria developed by a team of experts and consultants, conforming to international standards in similar sectors. Accordingly, the nominated cities will be evaluated to win the best touristic city in the continents of Asia and Africa.

Being bestowed with this award means that the city has earned the highest rating from a prominent committee of travel and tourism experts across all sectors of tourism& travel industry. The ceremony of crowning the winning tourism capital will be held in September/October of each year, whereby only one city will be awarded over each continent as the winning city in the 2023/ 2024 edition of the African and Asian Tourism Capital.

The aim of the award:

Promoting touristic destinations who strive to improve themselves to offer tourists best possible experience.

A great marketing tools. The award highlights to tourists all over the world a city that truly deserves a visit due to its exceptional offerings and commitment to meeting international standards for quality in tourism.

AFASU aims to keep tourism ahead of the curve, the union plays a big role in developing the tourism industry and supports this sector in the winning city with in-person training sessions, digital educational courses... etc.

We will market the capital of tourism in cooperation with the winner city utilizing all our tools.

The Capital of tourism city winner will be the capital of conferences, festivals, security, and safety, and it is a completely safe investment center for local, regional an international investor. It will be the capital of events of all kinds.

It is the capital of tourism and the capital of attraction for large and small investors and for small and medium companies.

The winner benefit:

The Award contributes as a marketing tool of the city locally, regionally, and globally.
Excessive digital promotional campaign of the competition and it’s the results through all known digital platforms.
AFASU contributes to verifying the quality standards of tourism services provided and the extent to which the city meets global standards of sustainability in tourist destinations.
Allow the winning city to hold professional exchanges, development, and training for those who work in the tourism sector.
Potentially increases inbound tourism to the city, reflecting positively on the local GDP and consequently the country’s national GDP.
Invite all international tourism organizations and institutions to attend the events – especially the culminating event announcing the winner - contributing to each city’s planned marketing objectives.
Raise the tourism awareness of African and Asian citizens about numerous African and Asian tourist destinations, especially the selected city.
Placing the logo of the Asian Tourism Capital on all publications and the official website of the city, the websites of the hotels in the city, and during celebrations and festivals, and announcing this in the various media will have a great impact in supporting the city in marketing.
The union through its spread network offers collaboration and investment opportunities that will help in generating growth and jobs especially in smart tourism, innovation, accessibility, and sustainability.
Each winning city will host the annual AFASU conference, whereby the attendees will present research papers and hold professional workshops on the latest global trends and the most important regional and global hot topics in the Travel & Tourism field, in addition to an employment fair contributing to the creation of jobs in the tourism sector.
And once again, we will market the winning city and focus on it being the city of safety and security and the capital of tourism investment for companies of all kinds and levels, especially small and medium-sized companies.
We will cooperate with the winning city in organizing a global tourism event under the slogan of tourism, technology and investment.
We will invite influencers on social media from all over the world and those interested in tourism investment, and our focus will be on encouraging small and medium-sized companies to invest in tourism.

The main objective is to encourage small and medium-sized businesses to explore the investment opportunities available in this city and to emphasize the importance of supporting and promoting these types of companies and investors in the tourism industry. (SMEs account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation and global economic development. They represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide. Formal SMEs contribute up to 40% of national income (GDP) in emerging economies.)

Awards committee:

AFASU union partners with a panel of travel &tourism industry experts, travel writers and consumer travel buyers from around the globe, all are members of the Afro-Asian Union AFASU, they meet to choose the winner of the African and Asian tourism capital Awards from a compiled short list of nominated cities who successfully matched the set-up criteria.

AFASU golden Awards Sectors:

The Tourism Capital Award is a general award for all sectors, but there are specialized awards for different branches of tourism such as:

-Business Tourism.
Adventure and mountain Tourism.
Wildlife Tourism.
Medical Tourism.
Wellness Tourism.
Pilgrimage and Spiritual Tourism.
Cultural Tourism.
Celebrity Tourism or Film Tourism.
Educational Tourism.
Rural Tourism.
Beach Tourism.
Space Tourism.
Tourism sustainable.

In addition to special prizes for tourism investors who supported sustainable tourism development.

Finally:

Finally, the tourism sector in the African-Asian Union AFASU includes 35 international experts in the field of tourism. The award jury is one of the best tourism experts in the world from all sectors and all nationalities. It votes for the winning city carefully and impartially. On the day of the announcement in the press conference about the city’s victory, it will be announced why we chose the city and its tourist importance as the capital of tourism and how to choose it from among the cities nominated by experts.

Selection Criteria

Criteria	Description	Indicators	Avg Weight/Score
Strategic Plan & Tourism Management	Ensuring the existence of an integrated strategic vision related to the development of the tourism sector in the candidate city.	Integrated strategic marketing plans. Operational plans already launched. Five years’ tourism actual statistics and insights. Country GDP five years’ statistics includes the tourism sector contribution. Crisis management plans. Tourism security. The Tourism Instrument. (resources) with proper structure as vehicle to manage tourism in the right manner and optimal way. (i. eTourism Promotion Board). Devoted funding to be managed collaborated between Industry and Government to be backed up with the policy to promote tourism and develop strategic partnership (co-op marketing) to keep its competitiveness and value propositions.	15
Diversity of Tourism Destinations	Analyzing all tourism attractions and its diversity to match the inbound tourism preferences.	Figures and statistics of the inbound tourism according to its type. Museums and historical places Leisure tourism Beach tourism Culinary Tourism Historical/ Roots Tourism. MICE - Exhibition and conferences tourism Medical tourism Other types of tourism Tourist satisfaction rates	20
Infrastructure	Clarifying the availability of the required tourism infrastructure for inbound tourism and its compliance with international standards.	Comparative analysis of Tourism figures and insights for the previous five years compared to forecasted five years. Numbers and rating of available hotels Numbers of available suites and hotel apartments. Tourist facilities and related services Availability of domestic and international flights to the destination Transportation, accessibility and availability of different means Availability of commercial markets and shopping malls that service the destination. Tourism awareness and inclusivity level of the local community	20
Governmental Facilities	The compatibility of the city strategic plans with the country strategic vision in addition to the governmental leadership and support to encourage and promote inbound tourism to the destination.	The country vision and strategy and their procedures to formulate tourism policy and enhance attraction competitiveness and investment in the destination. Visa, residence facilities and the immigration and citizenship laws The legislative and legal environment Security and tourism safety for tourists	10
Environmental compatibility and tourism sustainability	Ensuring the international standards of sustainability and the compatibility between tourism quality standards and sustainability issues	Tourism sustainability strategic plan for the destination Environmental initiatives and programs to sustain environment. Resources management Environmental safety standards Policies of energy consumption and conservation Cultural heritage conservation Natural resources conservation Wildlife protection Water management & waste management policies	10
Tourism technologies	Indicates how the destination is keeping aligned with rapid technological changes and its response as well as it keeps pace with the digital transformation in all aspects of the tourism industry.	Research and development programs relevant to the tourism sector. Modern applications and programs that aim at raising the quality standards of the tourism product and developing tourist destinations. Keeping pace with global developments and recent trends in tourism development. Exceptional digital presence through all digital means and platforms. Digital automation programs for mentoring and controls.	10
Proposed Activities and Events	Clarifying plans and objectives of all proposed events throughout the year as well as highlighting the current and the previous events to promote the destination	Clarifying the reasons and the objectives of the candidacy The expected and desired outcome of the participation and in case of selection and nominated as the African tourism capital (or Asian) Listing all proposed activities and events throughout the year of selection. Historical record of hosting similar activities, conferences or any relevant experiences.	10

Overall Assessment

100

If the city satisfies most of the conditions, some conditions can be ignored.
If the city has experienced significant growth in the past five years and needs to be supported to sustain this momentum, certain requirements may be disregarded.
The award lasts for a period of one year, with one African city and one Asian city being chosen every one year.
The acceptance of both the chosen city for the award and the terms and conditions for winning the award is required.

The terms set to host AFASU Golden Award Committee.

Acceptance of the award from the Ministry of Tourism or the authority under which the winning city applies for the Tourism Capital Award.
Hosting Six members of the AFASU UNION Higher Committee including airline tickets and full-board -ve-star accommodation.
Handing over the award at a press conference and gala dinner to which stakeholders, media and correspondents are invited.
Sending a newsletter to the whole world in three languages about the award.
Filming the award ceremony and delivering the videos and photos so that we can send them to our offices in 67 Countries.
Making a tourist trip to all the city's landmarks, as the committee are very important businessmen, tourism investors, and influencers.
Placing the Afro-Asian Union logo on all festive publications. (Throughout the duration of the award for a full year)
Follow-up of all these procedures will be in cooperation with the Director of the Protocol in the union.
Placing the tourism capital logo in all media and places where the winning tourist city is announced Throughout the duration of the award for a full year.