Over the last few days a series of articles related to the hosting of the UNWTO General Assembly in Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe) have been published which do not reflect the facts. In this respect, UNWTO would like to clarify the following:

1. The 155 UNWTO Member States decided, at the 19th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly held in October 2011 in the Republic of Korea, to hold the 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe) in 2013. In this framework, the UNWTO Secretary-General was in Victoria Falls on 29 May 2012 to sign a tripartite agreement with both countries on the hosting of the 20th Session of the General Assembly.

2. Tourism is today a central sector for the future of all countries, particularly African countries, where it accounts for an increasing number of jobs, community developments and export earnings and thus, on the occasion of the signature of the above mentioned agreement, the Secretary-General presented the Presidents of Zambia and Zimbabwe with an Open Letter on Travel and Tourism. This Letter was sent to all heads of state and government worldwide and aims to raise awareness of the potential of tourism for development, job creation and economic growth. The Open Letter calls upon heads of state and government to support the tourism sector as it can contribute to build a better future for the people of their countries, if properly developed.

3. It is also important, in this context, to note that UNWTO does not have an Ambassadors Programme and that the receiving of the Open Letter implies no legal commitment or official title attribution to the country or the recipient.

Contacts:

UNWTO Communications Programme

Tel: +34 91-567-8100

Fax: +34 91-567-8218