The 9th edition of the International Tourism Fair of Abidjan (SITA) and First Investment Forum for African Tourism (FITA).
UNWTO Participates in the 9th edition of the International Tourism Fair of Abidjan (SITA) and First Investment Forum for African Tourism (FITA).
The 9th edition of the International Tourism Fair of Abidjan (SITA) which took place from April 27th to May 1st 2019, was opened by the Minister of Tourism and Leisure of Côte d’Ivoire, H. E. Mr. Siandou Fofana. He welcomed international tourism stakeholders from 24 countries including Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Gabon, Morocco, Niger, Senegal and South Africa, with the event hosting more than 200 exhibitors. During this edition, Burkina Faso was featured and was represented by the country’s Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism, H.E.Mr. Abdoul Karim Sango.
Through this forum, organized annually by Côte d’Ivoire Tourisme, one of UNWTO’s affiliate members, tourism professionals from African countries are able to meet to promote the different tourism products of their countries, encouraging domestic and intra-regional tourism.
This year’s forum focused on the “Synergy of Tourism in Africa, an economic force”, recognizing the important role of tourism as a tool for economic development and its potential to contribute to national economies.
As the event continues to grow, this year saw the introduction of the 1st edition of the FITA, the Investment Forum for African Tourism which took place from April 27th to April 30th, within the SITA. This new event highlighted the need for national and international investors to take advantage of investment opportunities offered by the tourism sector in Côte d’Ivoire. In his opening speech, H. E. Mr. Siandou Fofana, Minister of Tourism, reiterated the importance of investing in the tourism sector and the opportunities and potential Côte d’Ivoire has to offer.
As part of FITA, UNWTO facilitated the organization of the second edition of the workshop on financing in the tourist sector led by the expert Mr. Navin Khemlani, International Consultant. Over 30 project leaders from various African countries were able to attend the workshop and benefit from the best practices in designing and securing investments for tourism projects in Africa.
The FITA provided a valuable platform for UNWTO to promote Affiliate Membership among African tourism stakeholders while also sharing the programme of work of the UNWTO Regional Department of Africa, “Agenda For Africa 2030– Tourism for inclusive growth”.
