International Dignitaries to Attend Special Diaspora Conference
Hosted by Actor Danny Glover
HAMILTON, BERMUDA, August, 2006 - True to its roots as an island rich in thriving culture and heritage, the mid-Atlantic cultural hotspot of Bermuda will host an international African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference, September 27-October 1, 2006. This important conference, sponsored by the Bermuda Department of Tourism and co-chaired by actor/community activist Danny Glover, is part of an initiative to unite African descendents from all over the world in order to enhance cross-border cultural tourism successes and promote stabilization of economies in Diaspora communities.
This event will bring a stellar list of world-renowned scholars and high-ranking government officials dedicated to the timely economic and cultural issues within Diaspora communities worldwide.
Conference co-chairs Danny Glover and Dr. Raddell Tankard of Bermuda will be joined by guest speakers: Dr. Wole Soyinka, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and noted Correspondent to National Public Radio's Cultural Desk The Honorable Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Ghanian Minister of Tourism and President of the African Travel Association The Honorable Andrew Young, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dr. Lonnie Bunch, Founding Director of the new African American Museum and Center for African American Culture, Smithsonian Institute of Washington, D.C. Verta Mae Grosvenor, Culinary Anthropologist and Social Commentator with National Public Radio Leslie Doggett, former President and CEO of Baltimore Convention and Visitors Bureau and former Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for the U.S. Travel & Tourism Administration Dr. Richard Long, Atticus Haygood Professor Emeritus, Emory University A. B. Spellman, Retired Deputy Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts,
Cultural Author/Critic/Noted Jazz Writer J. Max Bond, Jr., Leading American Architect & Educator
AFRICAN DIASPORA HERITAGE CONFERENCE -- 2
This line up of distinguished speakers will join Dr. the Honorable Ewart Brown, JP, MP, Bermuda's Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport, as they, among other International speakers, offer insight as presenters and panelists on the important issues at hand.
"The island of Bermuda is honored to welcome these knowledgeable Diaspora scholars to
offer their thoughts on African heritage and advancing the growing sector of cultural tourism," said Dr. Brown. "Cultural travel is on the rise, and its success is vital to Diaspora communities as it not only enriches the economies and also awareness of each area's unique historical significance."
The Bermuda Department of Tourism, in conjunction with various global tourism and cultural associations, such as UNESCO, the Africa Travel Association, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, International Institute of Peace through Tourism, World Tourism Organization and Travel Professionals of Color, has developed four full days of informative lectures and discussions, an unprecedented International African Diaspora Cultural Heritage Travel and Trade Show, tours of Bermuda's Diaspora Trail sites -- including the town of St. Georges, a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- and evenings filled with international cuisine and live entertainment.
Hosted by Bermuda's premier downtown property, the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, the
African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference is open to the public and especially designed for educational, governmental and tourism professionals. Registration rates for all conference events begin at $500 per person before July 15, 2006, $600 per person before August 31, and $700 for all reservations thereafter. Reduced conference rates for attendees' guests and discounted hotel rates at the Hamilton Princess are offered. For more information on pricing and the African Diaspora Heritage Trail, please visit www.adht.net.
Bermuda, just under two hours from East Coast gateway cities, stretches for 23 miles along turquoise waters, surrounded by a 200-square-mile coral reef plateau. Bermuda's diverse activities offer an array of vacation options, including more wreck dives than anywhere else in the world, championship golf, horseback riding, world-renowned deep sea fishing and smooth pink beaches to rest on by day's end.
Accommodations range from luxury resorts to intimate guest cottages and family-run inns, all incorporating the sophistication and hospitality unique to the Bermuda experience. For more information, visit www.bermudatourism.com or call 800-BERMUDA (800-237-6832).
