The New York-based American Tourism Society (ATS), a professional travel industry organization, announced that its Annual Fall Conference will take place for the first time in Cairo, Egypt, from October 27th till the 30th, 2008. The ATS conference will be under the auspices of the Egyptian Tourist Authority ETA). The agreement was signed at an ATS Executive Committee meeting in New York by ATS Chairman, David Parry, and Sayed M. Khalifa, Director, USA&Latin America, Egypt Tourist Authority in New York.

Parry, also Chairman, Academic Travel Abroad, stated “Egypt is the perfect venue to launch the ‘new’ American Tourism Society as we redirect our mission and efforts to foster travel industry education and understanding. Making our membership familiar with new places of historical, cultural and tourist value is an important ATS goal reflecting our motto - Bringing the World Together”. Parry added “the Egypt meeting will follow two high profile ATS meetings in the ATS Red/Mediterranean Sea Council region. We are confident that with the full support of the Egyptian Tourist Authority, Egypt Air and Wings Tours - Egypt, this will be one of our best conferences ever.”

“Egyptian Tourism is booming with new hotel developments in Alexandria, Sharm el Sheikh and other resorts in the Sinai,’ said Sayed Khalifa. “Our product, much more diversified than it was five years ago, now has much more to offer the varied interests of the American traveler. For this reason, we are especially pleased to have this wonderful opportunity to showcase Egypt, its ancient past and vibrant present, to this highly qualified group of American tour operators, travel agents and media.”

ATS President Phil Otterson, Executive VP External Affairs, Tauck World Discovery, said “this will be a landmark conference since it will be the first one in which many of the new initiatives and partnerships will be in place. We will be enhancing our workshops focusing on greater interaction with our local travel industry partners as well as expanding the training program through our Tourism College, now an integral part of each conference. This is in keeping with the ATS policy that the organization gives back something to the destinations where it meets.”