Tourism leaders from throughout Africa have met to rethink and realign the sector’s function as a driver of improvement and alternative throughout the area.
On the 66th assembly of the UNWTO Regional Fee for Africa, Member States joined representatives from worldwide organizations and the non-public sector to give attention to alternatives round tourism jobs and investments whereas additionally recognizing the important want to handle challenges together with the local weather disaster.
The UNWTO Agenda for Africa has been tailored. Our imaginative and prescient for African tourism can be one in every of sturdy governance, extra training and extra and higher jobs
Tourism in Africa: Bouncing Again
Based on the newest UNWTO information, tourism throughout Africa is returning to energy following the unprecedented disaster attributable to the pandemic:
- Worldwide arrivals throughout Africa have been again to 88% of pre-pandemic ranges on the finish of the primary quarter of this 12 months.
- On the sub-regional degree, North Africa is performing significantly strongly. Right here, arrivals have been truly 4% larger than the pre-pandemic ranges of 2019 in the identical interval.
- Globally worldwide tourism receipts reached USD 1 billion in 2022, a 50% progress in actual phrases in comparison with 2021. Amongst African locations with accessible information, Morocco and Mauritius notably exceeded their 2019 tourism receipts within the first quarter of 2023.
Welcoming delegates, UNWTO Secretary-Normal Zurab Pololikashvili mentioned: “The UNWTO Agenda for Africa has been tailored. Our imaginative and prescient for African tourism can be one in every of sturdy governance, extra training and extra and higher jobs. To attain it, we goal to advertise innovation, advocate for Model Africa, facilitate journey, and unlock progress via funding and public-private partnerships.
Members meet in Mauritius
UNWTO welcomed delegations from 33 nations, together with 22 Ministers of Tourism, two Deputy Ministers and 4 Ambassadors to the assembly, a very powerful annual occasion for the area’s Member States.
Reflecting the excessive degree of political help for the occasion, and for UNWTO’s mission to information tourism improvement throughout Africa, the assembly welcomed the attendance of the Prime Minister Republic of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, in addition to Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Mauritius, and Vice-Chair of the UNWTO Govt Council Steven Obeegadoo. Additionally in attendance have been the African Union Commissioner for Commerce and Improvement, Albert Muchanga, the Secretary-Normal of the Frequent Marketplace for Jap and Southern Africa (COMESA), Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, the Secretary-Normal of the Commonweath, Patricia Scotland KC, Particular Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary-Normal Lai Mohammed, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles Lisa S. Singh, the Resident Consultant of the UN Improvement Programme (UNDP) Amanda Seumaga, and representatives from the African Improvement Financial institution, the World Financial institution, and from IFEMA and the Tui Care Basis.
Members have been supplied with an outline of UNWTO’s achievements over the previous 12 months, with a specific give attention to core priorities for tourism in Africa:
- Tourism Investments: UNWTO offered a brand new set of Funding Tips for Mauritius, designed to related buyers with tourism initiatives within the nation. The Tips comply with on from related publications centered on Tanzania, with editions for Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda and Zambia in improvement. UNWTO has additionally held two Tourism Funding Boards in Africa.
- Gender Equality and Youth Empowerment: With tourism acknowledged for its distinctive capacity to drive gender equality and empower African youth, Members have been suggested on the progress of the UNWTO Ladies in Tourism Management for Africa Committee, and the Group’s give attention to training and coaching. Key achievements embrace the Journey Hospitality and Tourism Schooling Summit (Zambia, Could 2023) and plans to open an Worldwide Academy in Nigeria.
- Advocating for ‘Model Africa’: Members have been supplied with an replace on UNWTO’s work to empower African tourism professionals to take cost of the narrative, together with via two editions of the Model Africa Assume Tank Dialogue and plans for a UNWTO Media Coaching Workshop.
In shut collaboration with its Member States from throughout the area, UNWTO has additionally up to date its Agenda for Africa – Tourism for Inclusive Development. The revised roadmap displays the brand new challenges of post-pandemic tourism and the priorities outlined by Members.
Tourism addresses local weather motion
UNWTO continues to steer tourism’s shift to higher sustainability, recognizing the influence of maximum climate occasions, together with the potential for warmth waves to chop off the lifeline the sector affords for locations worldwide. In Mauritius, Members got an replace of UNWTO’s work round sustainability, most notably its management of the One Planet Tourism Community and the progress of the Glasgow Declaration on Local weather Motion in Tourism.
Tourism for rural improvement
Towards the backdrop of the Regional Fee assembly, Secretary-Normal Zurab Pololikashvili loved an official go to to Le Morne, acknowledged by UNWTO as one in every of its Greatest Tourism Villages. The Mauritian village of Previous Grand Port was additionally awarded the accolade.
About The World Tourism Group (UNWTO)
The World Tourism Group (UNWTO) is the United Nations specialised company fostering tourism as a automobile for equal, inclusive and sustainable improvement. Working with its Member States, worldwide organizations and the non-public sector, UNWTO promotes protected and seamless journey for all. UNWTO additionally works to make tourism the muse of belief and worldwide cooperation and a central pillar of restoration. As a part of the broader UN system, UNWTO is on the forefront of world efforts to attain the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Improvement, together with via its capacity to create first rate jobs, promote equality and protect pure and cultural heritage.
