PR No.: 16103

One of the initiatives of the 2016 African Women Cup of Nations has been the celebration of the Conference ‘Women, Sports and Tourism: Women Sport events and the promotion of African destinations,’ where the contribution of tourism and sports to sustainable development, mutual understanding and cultural exchange was emphasized. The event, organized by the Government of Cameroon with the support of UNWTO, highlighted the importance of women sports in branding Africa and in promoting gender equality.

“The high repercussion of women in the development of their countries is clear and should be underlined. The presence of women in sports-related events is one of these contributions that can immensely help brand African destinations, which are often victims of misperceptions, a factor that hinders the development of tourism in the continent“, said the Secretary-General of UNWTO Taleb Rifai at the opening of the Conference ‘Women, Sports and Tourism: Women Sports events and the promotion of African destinations’.

During his official visit to Cameroon, UNWTO Secretary-General met Prime Minister and Head of Government Philemon Yang to whom he presented the Open Letter, a global campaign conducted by UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTTC), to support tourism development worldwide and call for the support of the highest political level to the sector. Cameroon is the 19th African country to receive the Open Letter.

“Tourism is the sector of the future and it will change the future of the country. We have great potential in the tourism sector and I understand the need to have political will to change the course of tourism development in the country,” said Prime Minister Philemon Yang.

UNWTO Secretary-General reiterated the support of the Organization to Cameroon and stressed that “Cameroon is not alone and we should let the world know that it is a safe destination to be visited”.

Taleb Rifai also met Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh Minister, Secretary-General to the President’s office, Bello Bouba Maigari, State Minister and Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Minister of Arts and Culture and Joseph Dion Ngute, Minister Delegate in Charge of Relations with the Commonwealth at the Ministry of External Affairs.. During the meeting with the Minister of Tourism, he addressed several areas of cooperation such as capacity building and training, statistics and data collection and visa facilitation.

On the occasion, UNWTO Secretary-General also visited the Ebogo ST-EP Project on developing Sustainable Community Tourism and Private Enterprise being implemented at the banks of the Nyong River with the support of UNWTO and the STEP (Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty) Initiative and MEFOU Park where Gorillas and Chimpanzes are been rehabilitated.

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

UNWTO highlights the relevance of sports events in branding Africa

PR No.: 

 16100

09 Dec 16

With occasion of the 12th edition of the African Women Cup of Nations 2016 (November 19- December 3), the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai, has paid an official visit to Cameroon. Participating in the ‘Women, Sports and Tourism; Women Sports events and the promotion of African destinations’, UNWTO Secretary-General underlined the opportunities that women sports-related events bring to the tourism sector in the Africa and beyond.

One of the initiatives of the 2016 African Women Cup of Nations has been the celebration of the Conference ‘Women, Sports and Tourism: Women Sport events and the promotion of African destinations,’ where the contribution of tourism and sports to sustainable development, mutual understanding and cultural exchange was emphasized. The event, organized by the Government of Cameroon with the support of UNWTO, highlighted the importance of women sports in branding Africa and in promoting gender equality.

“The high repercussion of women in the development of their countries is clear and should be underlined. The presence of women in sports-related events is one of these contributions that can immensely help brand African destinations, which are often victims of misperceptions, a factor that hinders the development of tourism in the continent“, said the Secretary-General of UNWTO Taleb Rifai at the opening of the Conference ‘Women, Sports and Tourism: Women Sports events and the promotion of African destinations’.

During his official visit to Cameroon, UNWTO Secretary-General met Prime Minister and Head of Government Philemon Yang to whom he presented the Open Letter, a global campaign conducted by UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTTC), to support tourism development worldwide and call for the support of the highest political level to the sector. Cameroon is the 19th African country to receive the Open Letter.

“Tourism is the sector of the future and it will change the future of the country. We have great potential in the tourism sector and I understand the need to have political will to change the course of tourism development in the country,” said Prime Minister Philemon Yang.

UNWTO Secretary-General reiterated the support of the Organization to Cameroon and stressed that “Cameroon is not alone and we should let the world know that it is a safe destination to be visited”.

Taleb Rifai also met Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh Minister, Secretary-General to the President’s office, Bello Bouba Maigari, State Minister and Minister of Tourism and Leisure, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Minister of Arts and Culture and Joseph Dion Ngute, Minister Delegate in Charge of Relations with the Commonwealth at the Ministry of External Affairs.. During the meeting with the Minister of Tourism, he addressed several areas of cooperation such as capacity building and training, statistics and data collection and visa facilitation.

On the occasion, UNWTO Secretary-General also visited the Ebogo ST-EP Project on developing Sustainable Community Tourism and Private Enterprise being implemented at the banks of the Nyong River with the support of UNWTO and the STEP (Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty) Initiative and MEFOU Park where Gorillas and Chimpanzes are been rehabilitated.

 

La huitième édition du Forum d’affaires et d’investissement touristique pour l’Afrique (INVESTOUR), organisée chaque année par l’OMT, FITUR et Casa África, se tiendra le 19 janvier 2017 à Madrid (Espagne). Ce forum rassemble des acteurs du tourisme et des investisseurs potentiels qui s’intéressent à l’Afrique, pour discuter des opportunités qu’offre le continent en matière de développement du tourisme durable.

Le potentiel de l’Afrique dans le secteur du tourisme est indéniable. En 2015, le continent a accueilli 53 millions de touristes internationaux et ses recettes touristiques internationales se sont montées à 33 milliards d’USD. Les perspectives d’avenir demeurent positives : l’OMT prévoit 134 millions d’arrivées dans la région à l’horizon 2030. Le flux accru de touristes sur le continent amplifie la nécessité d’étendre les infrastructures, ce qui nécessite un renforcement des investissements. Dans ce contexte, INVESTOUR constitue une fois de plus une plateforme stratégique pour promouvoir les investissements et les opportunités commerciales en Afrique.

 

L’édition de cette année portera sur deux thèmes : « Technologie et conception de nouveaux produits touristiques » et « Renforcement des capacités et emploi pour les jeunes et les femmes dans le tourisme ».

Nous vous invitons à venir participer au Forum. Pour de plus amples renseignements, voir le site http://www.investour-africa.com.

Ces sujets présentent un très grand intérêt pour le développement du secteur touristique. Cette nouvelle édition sera l’occasion de découvrir les activités entreprises sur le continent et de mesurer leur impact sur le tourisme dans la région.

Comme lors des éditions précédentes, les rencontres interentreprises (B2B) mettront en relation des responsables de projets touristiques africains avec des partenaires internationaux potentiels prêts à investir en Afrique.

PR No.: 16094

Meeting with the President of the Republic of Sudan, H.E. Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir, to present the ‘Open Letter on Travel and Tourism’, a campaign promoted jointly by UNWTO and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to raise awareness of the value of tourism to development, Mr. Rifai reiterated the potential of the tourism sector in creating new opportunities for the people of Sudan.

The President expressed Sudan’s appreciation for the support of UNWTO by presenting UNWTO Secretary-General with the Order of the Two Niles Grand Cross. 

The official visit also included meetings with the press to address the issues of perception in Africa and a visit to Port Sudan and to the recently nominated World Heritage site of the Sanganeb Island. There Mr Rifai emphasized the need to build and have the right infrastructure in place and be able to communicate effective and positive messages to the world about Sudan.

Perception issues and the generalization of the impact of crises in specific locations to the whole region are some of the main obstacles facing tourism development in Africa. To address this, UNWTO and the UNWTO.Themis Foundation have organized a three days training on crisis communication in Sudan. Crisis communication preparedness is key to build resilience in Africa as it allows destinations to minimize the impact of crisis situations on the tourism sector and thus on its socio-economic benefits.

The course, part of UNWTO/UNWTO.Themis Foundation ongoing training on crisis communication, brought together nearly 60 communications professionals from eleven African countries. During three days, participants increased their capacities on crisis communications preparedness and management and exchanged experiences in managing crises.

Note to Editors

The Open Letter on Travel and Tourism is part of the Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign launched in 2011 by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The Campaign aims at enhancing the contribution of the sector to sustainable and universal development by raising awareness among Heads of State and Government of the potential of the tourism sector. Since its launch in 2011, UNWTO and WTTC have presented the Open Letter to 83 Heads of State and Government.

Additional information:

UNWTO Executive Training on Crisis Communication

Pictures on Flickr

CNN: Exploring Sudan's Forgotten Pyramids

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 

 

The UNWTO Regional Executive Training Course in the Republic of Sudan on Crisis Communications  in Tourism, organized by the World Tourism Organization, its UNWTO.Themis Foundation and the Government of the Republic of Sudan and its Ministry of Tourism, Antiquities and Wildlife was inaugurated on 14th November by H.E. Mr. Adil Hamid Dagalo, State Minister from the Ministry of Tourism, Antiquities and Wildlife, Dr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary General, H.E. Mr. Mohammed Mustafa AbuZaid, Minister of Tourism, Antiquities and Wildlife of Sudan, H.E. Mr. Babiker Hassan Saleh, Vice President of the Republic of Sudan and the facilitators of the course, Rut Gomez Sobrino and Tom Buncle.

This Executive Training aims to equip participants with the confidence and skills to take a leadership role in preparing and managing crisis communications. By the end of the training, participants should have a sound understanding of how to develop and implement a crisis communication plan, how to handle crisis communications, and how to set up a recovery plan. They should also have developed the confidence to apply these skills, to help train and build capacity in ones, and to adopt leadership role in crisis communications management.

PR No.: PR 16092

The Symposium aimed at increasing awareness on tourism and climate change-related issues and encourage the sector to engage in actions that reinforce national commitments to the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

“The tourism sector is both a vector and a victim of climate change and we are fully committed to contribute to reach the objectives set by the Paris Agreement. This event was essential to advance this agenda, especially the discussion on measurement and reporting requirements as a basis for identifying and prioritizing climate action in tourism”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.  

"Sustainable tourism creates opportunities and assembles partners to help transform the industry towards low emissions and more efficient and less polluting operations. We must make tourism and every other industry contributor to our climate change action and a sustainable future", said Patricia Espinosa, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, in her video address to the event.

The event focused in particular in the need for partnerships with the private sector and the role of sustainable transportation to accelerate climate action in tourism.

“Climate change can only be addressed if actors from all parts of society - governments, businesses, NGOs and consumers - make a global and broad shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. Accounting for 10% of GDP, 7% of the world's exports and one in 11 jobs, tourism is one of the main economic sectors in the world, and as such has to be at the core of this essential transition,” said Charles Arden-Clarke, Head of the 10YFP Secretariat.

The International Symposium was part of the 3-day COP22 Tourism Side Events organized by the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme and hosted by the Ministry of Tourism of Morocco. The Programme is a partnership led by UNWTO with the Governments of France, Morocco and the Republic of Korea as co-leads, with support of the 10YFP Secretariat at UN Environment, aimed at accelerating the shift towards more sustainable consumption and production. It was followed by a networking event involving financial institutions on sustainable tourism as well as by the Annual Conference on Saturday 12 November, where members of the network exchanged experiences and discussed priorities and next steps in the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme.

Note to editors:

About the United Nations 10 Year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP)

Adopted at Rio+20, the 10YFP is a global framework for action to accelerate the shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) patterns in both developed and developing countries. The 10YFP generates collective impact through multi-stakeholder programmes and partnerships, which develop, replicate and scale up SCP policies and initiatives especially at regional and national levels. SCP is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, affirmed with the inclusion of a standalone goal (Goal 12) among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Additional information:

Website of the Event

Video Message of Patricia Espinosa UNFCCC Executive Secretary

10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme

10YFP

Photos of the event

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

PR No.: PR 16091

The African continent has now a common reference framework to promote sustainability and responsibility in the tourism sector. The African Charter on Sustainable and Responsible Tourism, signed during the Ministerial Forum on Tourism and Climate in Africa, on the sidelines of the COP22, aims at becoming an instrumental tool for the continent to engage in sustainable tourism best practices by reconciling social and economic growth, the preservation of the environment and the respect for the cultural diversity of each country.

During the opening, H.E.M. Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Tourism of Morocco, said “the charter which is signed today is a commitment for the future in order to promote sustainable tourism for the benefit of Africa while showing respect to biodiversity and the heritage of each African country”. 

UNWTO was represented by its Márcio Favilla, Executive Director for Operational Programmes and Institutional Relations, who highlighted that the signature of this significant document “is the result of the vision that African countries have for the future of their tourism sector: one that respects the environment, local communities, promotes gender equality, creates jobs for the youth and is a key driver for sustainable and economic growth.” In addition he recalled that “the Charter constitutes also an open working platform for countries which provides global orientations to preserve, respect and benefit African destinations and African people".

The flowing countries undersign the document: the Kingdom of Morocco, the Republic of Congo, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Cabo-Verde, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Gabon, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Central African Republic, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Tunisia and Chad.

Additional information:

Website of the Event

Website of the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Programme

African Sustainable and Responsible Tourism Charter

Contacts:

UNWTO Media Officer Rut Gomez Sobrino
Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60 / rgomez@unwto.org

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218 / comm@UNWTO.org

UNWTO and UNWTO.Themis Foundation will conduct a 5-day Regional Executive Training Course in Khartoum, Sudan on ‘Crisis Communication in Tourism’, from 14-18 November 2016, in collaboration with the Government of Sudan and its Ministry of Tourism, Antiquities and Wildlife.

The Executive training course will provide the participants with knowledge, skills, tools and a forum to discuss and reflect on the key issues of crisis communication including preparedness, crisis communication and recovery. 

The course will follow a theoretical-practical approach, combining modules on modern crisis communications, how to develop a crisis communications plan, crisis communication in social media as well as media relation including high pressure interviews and press conferences.

The course is open for tourism officials working in communications and marketing in Sudan and UNWTO Members in the region.