The 57^th meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa (CAF) was held on 12 September 2015, within the framework of the 21^st session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Medellin, Columbia. The meeting was attended by over 80 delegates, from 32 African countries including eleven African Tourism Ministers, Representatives of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Casa Africa (Representative of the Spanish Government), the West African Economic Monetary Union (UEMOA), the International Fair of Madrid (IFEMA), the International Nightlife Association (UNWTO Affiliate Member) and the Regional Tourism organization of Southern Africa (RETOSA).

Opening the meeting, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry of Zimbabwe and CAF Chairman, Walter Mzembi, warmly welcomed all the delegates and thanked the host country Colombia, and in particular the Minister in charge of tourism and their collaborators for their excellent organization of the event and their hospitality.

In his opening address, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, expressed his appreciation to the Chairman and thanked the Colombian Government for being an excellent host and for the seamless organization of this 21^st session of the General Assembly. He also underlined the remarkably presence of African Ministers and emphasized the importance of the theme of the General Assembly - Tourism: Fostering Inclusive Development and Social Transformation – for Africa. Mr. Rifai recalled in this context the approval of the Sustainable Development Goals SDGs and the inclusion of tourism in the SDGs.

During the CAF Meeting various issues were discussed with emphasis on the strengthening of regional tourism blocks and the need for the establishment of a strong institutional tourism presence at the African Union (AU). Furthermore, UNWTO Secretary-General underlined the main priorities to be addressed by the Organization in 2016 - sustainability, safety and security and technology.

The Commission unanimously re-elected Zimbabwe as its Chairperson and Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon were appointed Vice-Chairpersons, for a two-year term (2015-2017). The Regional Director for the Africa Programme, Elcia Grandcourt, thanked the Hon. Tourism Minister of Zimbabwe for his dedicated work as Chairperson of the Commission and also thanked Senegal and Uganda for having performed the duties of Vice-Chairpersons during the period of 2013-2015. All Members welcomed the candidature of Côte d’Ivoire as host country for the 58^th Meeting of UNWTO CAF to be held in Abidjan from 19 to 21 April 2016.

UNWTO and Casa África have launched in 2015 a special report dedicated to tourism product development in Africa. 

The report reviews the current situation of Africa’s tourist markets as well as its future potential and includes several case studies from public and private sectors on tourism product development including key concepts, methodology and best practices.

The report available in English, French and Spanish can be downloaded at the UNWTO Elibrary

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PR No.: 15055

In an effort to unlock the tourism potential of East Africa, the first UNWTO East Africa Tourism Development Forum gathered regional tourism leaders and stakeholders to identify opportunities to maximize sustainable tourism development through regional collaboration.

Opening the Forum, the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, William Samoei Ruto, said “Tourism is a critical component of the East African economy and an important part of our common destiny. Our biggest challenge is to work together to improve every aspect of the experience we offer to our visitors, from their arrival at the airport, their movement within and across our countries, the accommodation and facilities that we offer, and the affordability across all income brackets. We are better, stronger and more attractive together than individually. This Forum presents an opportunity to compare notes on our experiences, programmes and aspirations in the development of tourism in our region”.

“UNWTO maintains great confidence in the East African Community´s ability to position itself as a leading tourism destination, by delivering one compelling, highly competitive offering. In this context, I wish to welcome the recent introduction of the East Africa Tourist Visa, which allows travel between Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, boosting regional tourism  and creating opportunities for tourists to explore the diversity of multiple destinations in the region,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai.

Phyllis Kandie, Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Kenya said: “By pulling and working together to address issues of competitiveness, positioning our destination globally and  responding to environmental challenges, we can ensure that  East African and indeed the whole African continent gets its fair share of tourist arrivals. Most importantly, we need to remember that we are not competitors. We are one people with a common destiny. Let us rise up to this challenge.”

Alongside Mrs. Kandie, the African Tourism Ministers of Seychelles, Sudan and Uganda, as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism of Tanzania also participated in the Forum. They were joined by high-level representatives for the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the East Africa Community (EAC), the International Air transport Association (IATA), and Kenya Airways. Forum participants stressed the need to put in place joint institutional frameworks and policy measures to spur further tourism growth throughout East Africa, including establishing a positive narrative of East-Africa as a destination, and developing regional policies in the areas of marketing and promotion, product development and travel facilitation (visa facilitation and connectivity).

In a Ministerial meeting held on the occasion of the Forum, a future common East African Tourism Agenda was outlined. The Agenda will include agreements on regional priorities and concrete actions for cooperation. The Ministers also agreed to work towards further mainstreaming tourism in the agenda of the African Union stressing that the sector can make a key contribution to the peace and development objectives of Africa.

Note to editors:

In 2014, Africa welcomed 56 million international tourists representing an increase of 2% compared to 2013 and generating US$ 34 billion in exports (7% of total exports in Africa). The next 20 years show clear signs of continued tourism growth for the continent. According to UNWTO forecasts, Africa will receive 134 million tourists by 2030.

Useful links:

UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa

UNWTO East Africa Tourism Development Forum

Contacts:

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

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

PR No.: 15054

Hosted by the Government of Ghana, the Conference was opened by the President of Ghana, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, who emphasized the importance Africa places on the potential of tourism to accelerate the development of its economies. “Tourism for us in Ghana is a major foreign exchange earner, contributing today 4.7% of our GDP. Through a number of strategies, Ghana has achieved the target of 1 million tourist arrivals, and we are working to improve on the arrivals and revenue from tourism. Tourism currently stands as the 4th largest contributor of revenue to the national economy after cocoa, gold and oil and gas”, he said.

Addressing the issue of the region´s image, President Mahama stressed the need to change perceptions and be innovative in telling the story of Africa “We must change the negative perception that has been built over the years. Africa is not one country, it is 54 different countries. Africa is the fastest growing continent in terms of population. Six African countries are among the top ten fastest growing economies of the world. There are more mobile subscribers in Africa than Europe and America combined. And there are many more unique selling points of this continent that we can package for the world. If we package Africa, the international media will respond”, he added.

“It is a tragedy that many of the positive stories of Africa are often hidden from the headlines. Rarely do we ever hear news about Africa´s fastest growing economies, its medical breakthroughs or how new technologies are transforming its industries and societies. This absence leaves a wide hole in the full story of Africa. To not tell this full story is to flatten our perspective of Africa´s reality” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, opening the Conference, alongside President Mahama, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts of Ghana, Ms. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare and the Mayor of Accra, Mr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije.

Zain Asher, anchor of CNN International’s ‘Newsroom' and ‘CNN Marketplace Africa', recalled that half of the international tourists visiting Africa come from Africa and that Africa needs to “own its own story”. Conclusions from the Conference include the need for African destinations to:

1.       'Own their narrative';

2.       Engage civil society, particularly women and youth, in communicating ‘new messages’;

3.       Embrace technology and social media (the campaign #theAfricatheMediaNeverShowsYou was shared as an example);

4.       Build 54 strong country brands as the pillar of Brand Africa;

5.       Enhance regional cooperation in areas such as visas and air connectivity;

6.       Build partnerships with media, civil society and the private sector acknowledging the new role of destination marketing organizations as ‘facilitators’ of people’s stories;

7.       Invest in crisis preparedness in the area of communication;

8.       Advance capacity building in communications and marketing.

Participating in the meeting were the Ministers of Tourism of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Ghana, the representative of the African Union (AU), public and private sector representatives from over 40 countries.

On the occasion, President Mahama was presented with the UNWTO/WTTC Open Letter on Travel and Tourism, which aims to rally the support of Heads of State and Government from around the world to advance the contribution that the sector can make to socio-economic development. Since it was launched in 2011, the Open Letter has been presented to 74 Heads of State and Government.

The conclusions of the Conference, which was supported by partners CNN International and Ethiopian Airlines, will be communicated to the 57th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa gathering African Tourism Ministers at the 21st UNWTO General Assembly taking place in Colombia between 14-17 September.

Useful links:

UNWTO Regional Conference Enhancing Brand Africa - Fostering Tourism Development

UNWTO/WTTC Open Letter on Travel and Tourism

Contacts:

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

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

PR No.: PR15051

Tourism is one of Africa’s most promising economic sectors, but the sector’s capacity to fully contribute to inclusive and sustainable development across the continent is often hindered by negative perceptions and the generalization of crises situations in specific locations. At the same time, the numerous positive stories from Africa remain untold to a global audience, further impeding positive perceptions of the region.

Against this backdrop, the upcoming UNWTO conference Enhancing Brand Africa - Fostering Tourism Development will bring together a wide range of public and private-sector stakeholders in tourism, media and communications, and other related fields to:

• Analyze the situation of Brand Africa and its impact on tourism in the region
•  Identify the key challenges facing Brand Africa and that of African countries
• Exchange national experiences on country branding and tourism branding
• Explore how African destinations can successfully build a strong brand in an increasingly competitive marketplace and a constantly changing business environment
• Create synergies among African countries towards greater cooperation in the promotion and positioning of a common African Tourism Brand

The Conference will be opened by H.E. Mr. John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana.

Among the confirmed speakers to gather in Accra, Ghana, are the Ministers of Tourism of Ghana, Cameroon, Namibia, Seychelles and Zimbabwe; the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebre Mariam;  and Zain Asher from CNN International, the media partner of the Conference, who will deliver a key note speech on “What is Brand Africa?”.

For more information and registration, please click here

Useful links:

UNWTO Briefing Paper: Towards Measuring the Economic Value of Wildlife Watching Tourism in Africa

UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa

Contacts:

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

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

The UNWTO Capacity Building Course on Tourism Policy and Strategy taking place in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), its Foundation UNWTO.Themis and the Ministry of Tourism of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was inaugurated on 18 May by H.E. Mr. Willy Makiashi, Deputy-Prime Minister, Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Welfare, H.E. Mr. Elvis Mutiri wa Bashara, Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Elcia Grandcourt, Director of the UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa and Mr. Mouad Achhab from the UNWTO.Themis Foundation. The course will be led by two facilitators: Mr. Jorge Guerrero Lozano and Mr. Henri Rabemanantsoa with the support of the UNWTO team represented by Mrs. Lydia Bebekum, Senior Programme Assistant of the UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa.

This course aims to analyze some key concepts on tourism policy and strategy, sustainable tourism, value chain, analysis, planning, strategy design and evaluation and monitoring strategy, as well as providing to the participants knowledge, skills, tools and a platform for discussion and reflection on tourism strategy. Among the activities of the course, participants will work on case studies on sub territories: River Congo, bonobos Park and surroundings, and the city-center of Kinshasa.
 

PR No.: 15032

In solidarity with Kenya and its people, and on behalf of the international tourism community, UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai visited the country to highlight the economic importance of the Kenyan tourism sector, and convey his confidence in its strong resilience.

“Kenya is a true tourism success story and a long-term tourism leader, not only in Africa but globally. Over the years, the Kenyan tourism sector has become a backbone of the national economy and demonstrated a remarkable capacity to recover and regain momentum, which is why I have full confidence in its ability to bounce back even stronger. The world must hear from Kenya now. Kenya, with Africa, will move forward”, said Mr. Rifai.

On the occasion, Mr. Rifai met with the President of Kenya, Mr. Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, to explore further areas of cooperation between Kenya and UNWTO, as well as the importance of domestic tourism, increased regional cooperation, and the need for more precise travel advisories.

Mr. Kenyatta confirmed the Government’s commitment to keep advancing the tourism sector also in these trying moments, and highlighted the importance of co-existence and working closely with neighboring countries to stabilize and promote East Africa.

“Terrorism is not a Kenyan issue, it is a global issue. We just happen to live on the front line. We will not change our plans but rather work towards eradicating the problem and to protect our people”, said Mr. Kenyatta.

Mr. Rifai also met with the Cabinet Secretary for East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism, Phyllis Kandie, and the tourism task force, to further explore how UNWTO can assist public and private sector efforts to recover and consolidate Kenya’s tourism sector. At a joint press conference with Mrs. Kandie, Mr. Rifai reiterated UNWTO’s strong support to Kenya:

“Sometimes when we live in a country we do not see how the world sees us. The world has great respect for Kenya, as do the international tourism community. I want to assure you that we will do our part to help restore full confidence in this incredible destination”, concluded Mr. Rifai.

Useful links:
UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa

Contacts:

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme
Tel: (+34) 91 567 8100 / Fax: +34 91 567 8218