During an official visit to Ethiopia, UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, met with President Mulatu Teshome, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonen, and Minister of Culture & Tourism, Amin Abdulkadir, to address the advancement of tourism in Ethiopia and the key role of the sector in the country’s socio-economic development. (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 13-18 July 2014). Read more

OFFICIAL COURTESY VISIT OF DR. ISATOU NJIE-SAIDY, VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE GAMBIA TO UNWTO HEADQUARTERS

Dr. Taleb Rifai, UNWTO Secretary-General, had the pleasure of welcoming Her Excellency Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, Vice President of the Republic of the Gambia and her delegation at the UNWTO headquarters on 9 June 2014.

Her Excellency Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy was paying a courtesy call to the UNWTO Secretary-General whilst on an official visit in Spain.  During their meeting, her Excellency stressed on the safety and security aspect of her country, its people, its culture and the flora and fauna which are all the unique selling points of The Gambia.  She reaffirmed that ´tourism has put The Gambia on the map´ and that it is now important to diversify their tourism industry in order to ensure the continual growth and wealth for the people of The Gambia. As 75% of women are farmers in the Gambia, the gender issue is at stake. Mainstreaming women and youth within the tourism industry is an area that the Federation of The Gambian women that was set up in 2011 is working towards in order to improve the livelihoods of the local population mostly women. They have identified key priority needs areas that require support and assistance to provide the framework especially for the women working in The Bandula´s (tourism markets) within the tourism and agricultural sector in The Gambia. The need for specialised training and capacity-building for these women as well as female farmers is crucial and are primarily needed in areas of managing a business, producing qualitative and diversified products and the packaging and marketing of these products.

Having identified these key priority areas for support, the UNWTO Secretary-General has keenly pledged the assistance of UNWTO to support The Gambia with their request.

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PR No.: PR14033

Mr Rifai alerted that “A tourism tax in Africa is a threat to the competiveness of the region and to all African economies which increasingly have tourism as a key pillar to their development. Any decision on the possible imposition of a tourism tax in Africa should be carefully evaluated as to the negative impact it will have on tourism demand, economic growth and jobs”.

This concern was echoed by the Ministers of Tourism of the region attending the 56th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa, held in Angola last month. Participants identified increased taxation as one of the main obstacles to the sustainable development of tourism and aviation in the region. Connectivity is one of the major barriers to Africa´s tourism growth and a further increase in the cost of air travel to the continent would jeopardize the need to increase intra and interregional air access across Africa.

International tourism in Africa has been growing steadily in recent years. In 2013, Africa received 56 million tourists up from 26 million in 2000. International tourism generates US$34 billion in exports in Africa, accounting for as much as 7% of all exports and 56% of the region’s services exports. Yet despite such progress, tourism in Africa is still in its early development stage, accounting for only 5% of international tourism, and faces several barriers impeding its further growth and competitiveness.     

The imposition of a tourism tax in Africa will impact not only the tourism sector, but African economies as a whole, as every tourist means more jobs and business opportunities  in tourism but also in related sectors, higher income for families, increased investment and more opportunities for grassroots development. 

Useful links

Download and share: Tourism – Driving Trade, Fostering Development and Connecting People (pdf)

Contacts:

UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

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

PR No.: PR14031

Over the last decade, international tourist arrivals to Africa have repeatedly outgrown results in other regions. By 2030, Africa’s international tourist numbers could grow from its current 56 million to 134 million and a rising number of African countries have embraced tourism as a priority for their development.

Against this backdrop, participants at the UNWTO Commission for Africa Meeting and the corresponding Seminar on ‘Tourism and Air Connectivity in Africa’ discussed how to overcome existing barriers to advance Africa’s tourism, including travel facilitation, air connectivity and infrastructure development.

“Tourism accounts for 7% of all exports in Africa and 58% of its service exports and is one of the most important sectors for the economies of the continent”, said UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai. “Yet to fully realize the potential tourism has in promoting growth and development in Africa, it is imperative to work towards a better alignment of tourism and air transport policies in the region”, he added.

The lack of consideration of tourism benefits and coordination between the tourism and aviation sectors, producing suboptimal air transport and tourism policies, infrastructure limitation, unsuitable taxation and restrictive visa policies, were identified as the main factors hampering the development of both tourism and air transport in Africa.

The Seminar laid the groundwork for the first UNWTO & International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Tourism and Transport Ministerial Conference for Africa (14-15 October 2014, Mahé, Seychelles).

Poaching in Africa, a threat to tourism and livelihoods

On the occasion of the UNWTO Commission for Africa Meeting, a special debate was held on the on-going poaching crisis and its impact on tourism and the livelihoods of millions living off the sector in the region. In this regard, Member States mandated UNWTO to pursue its advocacy work in the area of anti-poaching, and explore how the tourism sector can help contribute to the global fight against wildlife crime.

A UNWTO report on the value of wildlife watching tourism in Africa presented at the Meeting confirms wildlife watching tourism as one of the main tourism draws in the majority of the region’s destinations. The report estimates wildlife watching tourists to represent between 80% and 90% of all visitors of protected areas. The report further identifies illegal wildlife trade as a serious issue, clearly affecting tourism development in the region, not only in terms of biodiversity loss, but also as a security threat and a negative factor affecting the international perception of African destinations. 

Useful links:

UNWTO Regional Programme for Africa

Travel Facilitation

UNWTO Study on the Economic Value of Wildlife Watching Tourism

Contacts:

UNWTO Senior Media Officer: Marcelo Risi

Tel: (+34) 91 567 81 60

UNWTO Communications & Publications Programme

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