Tourism in Africa has enjoyed significant momentum since the beginning of the year and I am delighted to share a latest update on our work together in building Tourism across Africa.
PR No.: 16028
Over three days (19-21 April) high-level tourism representatives from African countries, including 18 tourism ministers1, are convening in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to discuss the challenges of the sector and the priorities for the programme of work of UNWTO in the African continent. The event is held in parallel with the Sustainable Tourism Conference of the 10 YFP, focused on ‘Accelerating the Shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns’.
Tourism and ethics, tourism and security, and the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development to be celebrated in 2017 are some of the topics in the agenda of the meeting. The events taking place in Côte d’Ivoire show clear support to the country following the tragic events that took place in Grand-Bassam last March and recognition by the Government of Cote d’Ivoire of tourism’s role in development.
“Côte d’Ivoire is one of the most evident examples of the great potential of African tourism; it holds impressive natural assets and unique cultural diversity and traditions. Continuing to foster tourism in this part of the world can really make a difference, not only for society as a whole but for the perception of the African continent in the world,” said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, opening the event.
During the occasion, the UNWTO Secretary-General and attending delegations visited Grand-Bassam to pay tribute to the victims of the attack of March 13, 2016.
"Thank you for coming to Grand-Bassam and paying respect to the victims. We thank you for maintaining the meeting, which is very important for us," said President of Côte d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara.
The importance of tourism to Cote d’Ivoire has been reflected in the acceptance by President Ouattara of the UNWTO/WTTC Open Letter on Travel and Tourism, geared to raise awareness and support of tourism at the highest political level.
Sustainability in the agenda of tourism in Africa
Parallel to the Regional Commission, UNWTO organized the Sustainable Tourism Conference of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns.
The event focused on ‘Accelerating the Shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns’ and discussed the importance of sustainability in the agenda of tourism in Africa, as well as in enhancing tourism investment and financing and collaboration among stakeholders to improve the tourism sector’s performance.
Through a combination of plenary sessions, interactive panels and roundtable discussions, examples of good practices from related projects and activities were presented and shared.
The UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa coincided with the holding of SITA - Salon International du Tourisme d´Abidjan - providing attendees with the opportunity to also participate in the fair that brings together local exhibitors as well as those from the neighbouring countries.
Note to editors
The 10YFP was adopted at the Rio+20 Conference as a framework for action on Sustainable Consumption and Production as a cornerstone of sustainable development. The well-being of humanity, the environment and the economy ultimately depend upon the responsible management of the planet’s natural resources. These challenges are mounting as the world population is forecast to reach 9 billion by 2050, with 1 billion people to be lifted out of absolute poverty and 1-3 billion additional middle-class consumers joining the global economy by 2030. The most promising strategy for ensuring future prosperity lies in decoupling economic growth from the rising rates of natural resource use and the environmental impacts of both the consumption and production stages of product life cycles. Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) is about “the use of services and related products that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life while minimizing the use of natural resources and toxic materials, as well as the emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product, so as not to jeopardize the needs of further generations”. SCP is about doing more and better with less. SCP is about increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable lifestyles. It offers important contributions for poverty alleviation and the transition towards low-carbon and green economies. It requires building cooperation among different stakeholders as well as across sectors in all countries.
1Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Togo, Zambia and Zimbabwe
Useful links:
- To know more about the UNWTO Regional Commission for Africa
- To know more about the 10YFP
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
On behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO strongly condemns the attack at a hotel in the town of Grand Bassam, in Côte d’Ivoire and conveys its heartfelt sympathy to the families of the victims.
“We are appalled by this horrible act of violence. Our thoughts at this difficult moment are with the families and friends of the victims and the people of Côte d’Ivoire” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.
UNWTO reaffirmed its full support and confidence in Côte d’Ivoire’s tourism sector which has been growing over the last years.
“We trust that tourism will continue to play a key role in advancing development in Côte d’Ivoire and we very much look forward meeting in Abidjan on 19-21 April for the 58th UNWTO Commission for Africa and the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Conference & Symposium” added Mr. Rifai.
Note for Editors
The UNWTO Commission for Africa is the yearly meeting of the UNWTO Member States and Affiliate Members. The 2016 meeting will take place in Abidjan on 19-21 April, together with the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Conference & Symposium on ‘Accelerating the Shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (SCP)’.
http://africa.unwto.org/event/58th-unwto-caf-meeting-and-2016-10yfp-sustainable-tourism-conference-symposium-accelerating-sh
The East Africa Tourism Platform (EATP) was formed in July 2011 and is the private sector body for tourism in East Africa, fostering private sector interest and participation in the East African Community (EAC) integration process.
EATP works closely with EAC State Ministries responsible for tourism and wildlife, the East African Business Council and tourism private sector organizations towards integration of East Africa (EA) into a single tourism destination. EA as a single destination will provide a more diverse, superior tourism product than any of the partner countries singly; thus compete more favorably in the regional and global tourist market. This will positively impact the number of tourist arrivals and spend in the region as tourists are expected to stay longer to explore more, in effect boosting the region’s earnings from tourism.
EATP’s key impacts to date include successful lobby for the EA Single Tourist Visa, use of National IDs as travel documents for citizens between Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda; joint tourism marketing initiatives under the EA Northern Corridor Integration projects among others.
EATP is continually working to build its institutional capacity to deliver on its mandate, and the recently earned recognition as 1st runner up of the UNWTO Award for Innovation in Public Policy and Governance is a powerful tool for public and peer recognition of its achievements. It also serves to strengthen its networks and partnerships. This recognition demonstrates that private sector can lead in public policies formulation in tourism and EATP is at the fore front in this regard in East Africa. The Platform aims to continue to drive its mission of inter and intra-regional tourism in EAC and beyond its borders. Its ideal scenario is to see Africa bringing down barriers to tourism, trade and socio cultural development in the region.
En 2005, l’équipe de guides du gîte de Chobe Game ne comptait que deux femmes contre 12 hommes. On ne recensait d’ailleurs que 10 femmes guides dans l’ensemble du pays.
L’équipe de gestion du gîte de Chobe Game, en accord avec l’Institut de formation sur la vie sauvage du Botswana, a conçu une stratégie pour accroître le nombre de femmes guides et remédier au manque de femmes dans la communauté des guides du Botswana, fortement dominée par les hommes.
Le résultat a été extrêmement positif. Aujourd’hui, une équipe de 16 femmes guides, surnommée « Les anges de Chobe », est fière d’être la seule équipe de guides exclusivement féminine d’Afrique !
Donner les mêmes opportunités aux femmes n’est que l’une des nombreuses initiatives conduites par le gîte de Chobe Game dans le cadre de sa stratégie pour un tourisme responsable.
Pour plus d’informations, n’hésitez pas à vous adresser à : james.wilson@chobegamelodge.co.bw
UNWTO, in collaboration with UNDP, prepared a Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy and Master Plan for the Government of the Republic of Congo, from April to November 2015.
In addition to the Master Plan, UNWTO also prepared the National Tourism Policy. The project was implemented in two phases. During the first phase, conducted between April to June 2015, a team of 18 international and national experts undertook a detailed situation analysis of the current factors impacting on tourism development in the country and identified the main areas for opportunity and growth.
A national seminar was held on 8 July 2015 to present the situation analysis and main areas of focus of the proposed Policy, Strategy and Master Plan to public and private sector stakeholders. The second phase of the Master Plan was conducted between August to November 2015 and included the formulation of the Policy, Strategy and Master Plan. These were presented to the stakeholders for validation at a national conference held on 18 November 2015, presided by the Minister of Tourism and Environment, Josue Rodrigue Ngouonimba. The country is committed to making tourism one of the key components of its economic and social development and to achieve a 10% GDP contribution of the sector.
The 58th UNWTO Regional Commission meeting for Africa (CAF) is set to take place in Abidjan, Cote d´Ivoire from 19 to 21 April, 2016. The annual regional meeting will bring together Tourism Ministers and leaders of the sector to deliberate on the UNWTO programme of work for the region and discuss key issues affecting the sector in Africa.
Members attending the meeting will also have the opportunity to participate at the opening of the International Tourism Fair of Abidjan (SITA 2016). SITA is an important platform for participants to promote their destinations and explore the different facets of Cote d'Ivoire´s rich natural, cultural and religious diversity.
On the occasion, Cote D’Ivoire will also host the 10YFP Sustainable Tourism Conference & Symposium on Accelerating the Shift towards Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns. The event will provide participants the opportunity to exchange experiences on how to best develop Africa’s tourism in a sustainable manner and accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns in the region. The Symposium will brings together the Stakeholders of the Programme and sustainable tourism experts from around the world.
African Tourism Ministers, led by the UNWTO CAF Chairperson and Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry of Zimbabwe, H.E. Dr. Eng. Walter Mzembi, together with the Executive Director for Technical Cooperation and Services of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zhu Shanzhong, met the Chairperson of the African Union (AU), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, to discuss the role of tourism in the AU’s 2063 Agenda on 19 October 2015 at the organization’s Headquarters, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
During the meeting Ministers reinforced the importance of placing the tourism sector higher in the Agenda of the AU. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma commended UNWTO and the CAF Chairman for this important initiative and recognized that due to the socio-economic importance and the transversal nature of tourism there was indeed a great need to ensure that the sector is mainstreamed in the AU agenda 2063. UNWTO Executive Director for Technical Coorperation and Services, Zhu Shanzhong also used the opportunity to assure the AU Chairperson, of UNWTO‘s commitment to work with and in support of African Tourism Ministers to bring the tourism sector to the fore in the discussions with the AU.
The meeting follows up the MOU signed between UNWTO and the AU in July 2014. In this context, Dr. Elham Ibrahim, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, has since participated at several UNWTO activities strengthening the relationship between UNWTO and the AU and providing an opportunity to discuss the need of mainstreaming tourism in the AU agenda 2063.
In conclusion, the AU Chairperson suggested the inclusion of tourism on the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the AU African Finance Ministers to be held in March 2016 and invited African Tourism Ministers to participate. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism of Ethiopia, Aisha Mohammed Mussa, delegates from Cameroon, Ghana and Zimbabwe. The outcome of the meeting was subsequently shared with the AU Permanent Representatives' Committee for information.
We are pleased to share with you our first newsletter of 2016 and web hope very much that you will enjoy the articles we have prepared for you ago.