9th Edition of INVESTOUR 2018

The 9^th edition of the Tourism Investment and Business Forum for Africa (INVESTOUR),  that took place on the 18^th of January 2018, gathered over 400 participants from more than 40 countries, including 35 countries from Africa. Joining were participants from Argentina, China, France, Italy Netherlands Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, USA, among other countries. More than 28 Ministers of Tourism and Heads of Delegation from Africa attended the Forum. The Forum counted with the presence UNWTO Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, and the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Ildefonso Castro.

The round-table sessions yielded interesting conclusions about the perception of Africa on the international scene and how Brand Africa could position itself to impact tourism in the region, and the importance and the role of biodiversity to enhance local communities’ involvement and develop sustainable livelihoods.

The B2B sessions hosted around 132 meetings between 20 international companies, and the promoters of 46 African tourism development projects from Algeria, Cameroon, Union of Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia and Zambia.

On the occasion of the Ministerial lunch, UNWTO presented to Member States a proposed Special Programme for Africa. The Ministers and Heads of delegations discussed the areas of work and issues that are relevant to the continent and agreed to reconvene on the sidelines of ITB in Berlin early March 2018, to  finalize this Programme.

The success of this edition was reinforced by the kind support and generosity of our sponsors and partners. This year’s Forum was sponsored by Horwath HTL, the world leading consulting firm specialized in hotels, tourism and leisure, Quantum Solutions Emerging Markets specialized in the promotion, design, and execution of projects in the areas of infrastructure, capital goods, and services and INFECAR, the Trade Fair Institution of the Canary Islands.

Partners of INVESTOUR included eBiz Africa Review, China Business Network, Chimelong, Ethiopian Airlines, the Spanish Madrid Chamber of Commerce, Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV), Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and The Spanish Exporters and Investors Club.

The closing remarks of the event were given by Luis Padilla Macabeo, co-founder of INVESTOUR and Deputy Regional Minister for External Affairs of the Government of the Canary Islands in Spain.

Official visits of African Tourism Ministers to UNWTO headquarters

Strengthening member relations is at the core of the work carried by the Regional Programme for Africa.  This is evidenced through the great relationship that the Programme has developed over the years with each Member State as well as Affiliate Members from the region. Additionally, we have been encouraging Ministers when they have the possibility to visit our headquarters in order to familiarize themselves and have an in-depth view of the services that the Organization has to offer.

In each visit we ensure that we maximize the presence of the Ministers by facilitating for technical meetings and working sessions with the UNWTO Secretary-General, Executive Director and Directors of Regional Programme for Africa, Technical Cooperation and other Programmes based on the request of each country. We also endeavor to assist in organizing meetings with Spanish public entities upon request.

UNWTO Secretary General, Zurab Pololikashvili, has received at UNWTO Headquarters in January 2018 the Tourism Ministers of Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Niger, Madagascar, Uganda, Zambia, Cabo Verde, Comoros and Sudan. Meetings focused on the main priorities that UNWTO and each Member State have but also on a strategic approach to advance the tourism agenda for each Member State and the region. These meetings reiterate the cooperation and commitment of the Organization with each and every one of the countries and usually result in specific Agreements and Memorandums of Understanding between African Members and UNWTO.

The UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa encourages all Member States to continue enhancing and strengthening our relationship through such working visits.

 

 

UNWTO/CHIMELONG PROGRAMME TRAINS  JOURNALISTS IN BOTSWANA ON SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND WILDLIFE

The role of media to inform and engage the general public as well as to advocate for sustainable tourism and wildlife was the focus of the training workshop held in Botswana in December 2017. The activity is part of the UNWTO/Chimelong Programme that promotes the relation between wildlife and sustainable tourism as is being implemented between 2017 and 2019.

The different angles of the tourism, the impacts of the sector on local communities and the relevance of wildlife as a key component of sustainable tourism were analyzed in a training workshop held in Kasane, Botswana in December 2017. 30 local and international journalists shared their experiences and the challenges faced in covering these topics and enhanced their knowledge about the relevance of wildlife to tourism development.

Besides the training, the journalists participated in the International Symposium and Annual Conference of the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme (STP). The event was hosted by the Botswana Tourism Organization and co-organized by UNWTO and the governments of France, Morocco and the Republic of Korea, with support from the 10YFP Secretariat and UN Environment in Kasane, at the door of the National Park of Chobe. The event brought together international organizations and individual experts and entrepreneurs on sustainable tourism-related topics such as wildlife protection and green energies.

The media training conducted in Botswana was the second activity of this type held in the framework of the UNWTO/Chimelong Programme. The Programme aims at enhancing the potential of sustainable tourism to foster wildlife conservation. The first media workshop was conducted in the Republic of Congo in July 2017.

In addition to the capacity building of journalists through workshops and field missions, the Media Development component of the UNWTO/Chimelong Programme includes a Media Award and training of National Tourism Administrations on media-related topics.

The UNWTO/Chimelong Programme was agreed between both signatories in 2016, with occasion of the 1^st World Conference on Tourism for Development that took place in Beijing, China in the month of May of that year.

More about the UNWTO/Chimelong Programme: /chimelong

EMPOWERING TOURISM DESTINATIONS’ SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH INNOVATION

Under the theme ‘Empowering Tourism Destinations’ Sustainability through Innovation’, Kasane, the capital of Chobe District in Botswana, hosted over 100 tourism stakeholders from 19 different countries on 7-9 December 2017. The delegates, 40% of which represented private sector organizations, exchanged experiences and knowledge of innovative approaches to enhance tourism and conservation planning, financing and marketing.

The potential of geospatial technologies and big data as a growing tool for better tourism planning and management and the opportunities offered by adopting circular economy approaches in the tourism value chain to advance the fight against climate change were among the most salient debates. The importance of the relationship between tourism, biodiversity and wildlife protection as well as the key role of partnerships were also debated in the scope of the implementation of the Agenda 2030 through tourism.

The Symposium and Conference led to the adoption of the ‘Kasane Call to Action on Sustainable Tourism: The Tourism We Want’, which represents the contribution of the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme to the legacy of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. The Call was developed following a participatory approach and aims to guide the action of the 10YFP network on tourism in the years to come.

The events were hosted by the Botswana Tourism Organization and co-organized by UNWTO and the governments of France, Morocco and the Republic of Korea, with the support of the 10YFP Secretariat and UN Environment.

Related links:

Programme of the events, presentations and videos : here

Further information on the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme: here

UNWTO DELIVERS TRAINING ON TOURISM AND BIODIVERSITY IN WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

UNWTO delivered two training seminars on tourism and wildlife in Dubréka, Republic of Guinea, from 14 to 16 November and in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from 21-23 November 2017. The seminars are part of a series of activities within the UNWTO/Chimelong Initiative on Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Tourism in Africa and Asia and the Pacific.

With the rapid growth of the tourism sector in West and Central Africa, tourism has become an important pillar for local economies. Challenges in preserving the biodiversity may in the long run affect visitors´ satisfaction which ultimately would result in lower income from tourism activities.

Each one of these programmes gathered approximately 30 participants from different areas of the tourism sector in the countries. The three-days training programmes aimed to raise awareness among the local population on the importance of biodiversity conservation and how to address environmental issues while undertaking tourism activities. The training also encouraged local communities and tourism employees to act as champions of biodiversity conservation and environmental protection as a means to ensure sustainable income for the local population from tourism activities.

The successful completion of these two UNWTO/Chimelong seminars was facilitated by the support of respective Ministries led by H. E. Mr. Thierno Ousmane Diallo, Minister of State of Tourism, Hospitality and Handicrafts in Guinea and H. E. Mr. Franck Mwe di Malila Apenela, Minister of Tourism in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The training programme in Kinshasa closed the series of Capacity Building Seminars for Tourism Development and Biodiversity Protection in West and Central Africa, which involved a total of five countries. The conclusions of these workshops will be discussed at a regional workshop in April 2018 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The efforts put forward by the governments of Gabon, Benin, Niger, Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo in hosting these workshops highlight the importance given to the contribution of the tourism sector in their countries to socio-economic development as well as to biodiversity conservation.

More information on the UNWTO/Chimelong Initiative /chimelong

 

Lancement des jalons d’une  large coopération dans le domaine touristique 

Agence de Promotion Touristique du Mali - APTM - Bulletin d’information de l’APTM

World Tourism Day 2017 Sustainable Tourism a tool for development

Proposition de publication d’un article sur quelques
activités conjointes entre le Maroc et l’OMT en 2017

Le Royaume du Maroc a participé tout au long de l’année 2017 à plusieurs activités de l’Organisation Mondiale du Tourisme (OMT) en Afrique et dans le monde. Dans ce cadre, et en marge de la 2^ème Journée Marocaine du Tourisme Durable et Responsable, tenue à Rabat, le 20 mars 2017, le Maroc a apporté son soutien à l’OMT en tant que sponsor officiel de l'Année (2017) internationale du tourisme durable pour le développement et s’est également engagé à œuvrer conjointement avec l’OMT à la promotion de la première Charte africaine du tourisme durable et responsable, adoptée lors de la Réunion des Ministres africains du tourisme le 10 novembre 2016 à Marrakech en marge de la COP22.

La coopération entre le Maroc et l’OMT ne cesse de s’intensifier. C’est ainsi que Monsieur Mohammed SAJID, Ministre du Tourisme, du Transport Aérien, de l’Artisanat et de l’Economie Sociale a participé en tant que panéliste au Sommet Ministériel de l’OMT et du World Travel Market : « Overtourism : growth is not the enemy, it is how we manage it » le 7 novembre 2017 à Londres.

Par ailleurs, l’année 2017 a aussi été caractérisée par la signature d’un Mémorandum d’Accord en matière de tourisme par Monsieur Taleb RIFAI, Secrétaire Général de l’OMT et Madame Lamia BOUTALEB, Secrétaire d’Etat chargée du Tourisme du Royaume du Maroc, le 20 octobre 2017 au siège de l’OMT à Madrid. Cet Accord vise le renforcement de la coopération entre les deux parties, notamment en matière de statistiques touristiques, d’image de marque de la destination Maroc, de formation touristique et hôtelière, de tourisme durable et de sensibilisation autour des principes de la Charte Africaine du Tourisme Durable et Responsable.