HARARE (AA) – Zimbabwe and Zambia will co-host the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly from August 24 to 29, the second time the global event is being hosted in Africa.
"From a tourism perspective, this is an endorsement of Zimbabwe as a [tourist] destination, contrary to previous reports that the country was unstable," Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) spokesman Sugra Chagonda told Anadolu Agency.
He said that hosting the UNWTO's General Assembly would have a magnetic effect, since the event usually attracts a veritable who's-who of the global tourism industry.
The UNWTO General Assembly is a bi-annual tourism mega-event held on an equal rotational basis among the 186 member states.
This year, it will be hosted in the resort towns of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and Livingstone, Zambia, whose common denominator is the mighty waterfall on the Zambezi River shared by both countries.
The global event was first held in Africa in 2007, with Senegal playing host.
In 1970, the International Union of Official Travel Organizations restructured itself into the United Nations World Tourism Organization, a UN agency responsible for promoting sustainable and accessible tourism.
As a major international tourism organization, the UNWTO promises to offer leadership and support to the global tourism sector with the aim of promoting positive tourism policies worldwide.
- Increased Income-
The event will allow both Zimbabwe and Zambia to market themselves to the international community as viable tourism destinations.
Zimbabwe has suffered from bad publicity in recent years due to political and economic problems that led many international tourism agencies to shun the country.
Western countries, such as the UK and US, have also issued travel alerts to their citizens, badly affecting the local tourism industry.
Magaret Sangarwe, secretary to the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality, expects the upcoming UNWTO event to have positive effects on Zimbabwe's national economy, and on the local tourism sector itself.
"A lot of people are coming into the country. Maybe some delegates will have an opportunity to visit other parts of the country, hence an increased income," she told AA.
"The trickle-down effect will be an increased income since some will spend on travel and tourism, aside from the general assembly," Sangarwe added.
She noted that the face of Victoria Falls had changed and could now meet international standards for holiday resorts.
"We envisage a growth in tourism even beyond the general assembly, as some of these delegates will be the gateway to enhancing our tourism sector," stressed Sangarwe.
Zimbabwe's tourism industry is considered one of the fastest growing in the world. In 2012, it contributed 8.2 percent to the country's overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and by 2015 the ZTA expects this figure will rise to about 15 percent.
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