UNWTO Members Meet to Rethink Agenda for African Tourism

UNWTO welcomed delegations from 33 countries, including 22 Ministers of Tourism, two Deputy Ministers and four Ambassadors to the 66th meeting of their Regional Commission for Africa. As the most important annual event for the region's Member States the meeting brought together international organizations and the private sector to focus on opportunities around tourism jobs and investments while also recognizing the vital need to address challenges including the climate crisis.

Reflecting the high level of political support for the event, and for UNWTO's mission to guide tourism development across Africa, the meeting welcomed the attendance of the Prime Minister Republic of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, as well as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Republic of Mauritius, and Vice-Chair of the UNWTO Executive Council Steven Obeegadoo.

Also in attendance were the African Union Commissioner for Trade and Development, Albert Muchanga, the Secretary-General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe, the Secretary-General of the Commonweath, Patricia Scotland KC, Special Advisor to the UNWTO Secretary-General Lai Mohammed, UN Resident Coordinator for Mauritius and Seychelles Lisa S. Singh, the Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Amanda Serumaga, Representative for the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Anne Ancia, and representatives from the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and from IFEMA and the Tui Care Foundation.

Members were provided with an overview of UNWTO's achievements over the past year, with a particular focus on core priorities for tourism in Africa:

• Tourism Investments: UNWTO presented a new set of Investment Guidelines for Mauritius, designed to connected investors with tourism projects in the country.
• Gender Equality and Youth Empowerment: With tourism recognized for its unique ability to drive gender equality and empower African youth, Members were advised on the progress of the UNWTO Women in Tourism Leadership for Africa Committee, and the Organization's focus on education and training.
• Advocating for 'Brand Africa': Members were provided with an update on UNWTO's work to empower African tourism professionals to take charge of the narrative, including through two editions of the Brand Africa Think Tank Dialogue and plans for a UNWTO Media Training Workshop.

In close collaboration with its Member States from across the region, UNWTO also updated its Agenda for Africa – Tourism for Inclusive Growth. The revised roadmap reflects the new challenges of post-pandemic tourism and the priorities outlined by Members.

Tourism addresses climate action

UNWTO continues to lead tourism's shift to greater sustainability, recognizing the impact of extreme weather events, including the potential for heat waves to cut off the lifeline the sector offers for destinations worldwide. In Mauritius, Members were given an update of UNWTO's work around sustainability, most notably its leadership of the One Planet Tourism Network and the progress of the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism. During her intervention on the Ministerial Panel Session: Addressing Global Challenges UN Resident Coordinator Ms. Singh emphasized opportunities in investing in climate resilience, and in vertical and horizontal diversification of tourism industries, coupling coastal leisure with inland cultural and environmental experiences. She underlined the need to better integrate the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development in the way the tourism industry is shaped.

Tourism for rural development

Against the backdrop of the Regional Commission meeting, Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili enjoyed an official visit to Le Morne, recognized by UNWTO as one of its Best Tourism Villages. The Mauritian village of Old Grand Port was also awarded the accolade.

Original article written by UNWTO. This version has been edited from the article first published on UNWTO website.