Press Conference reviews the 66th Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Africa

Originally posted on NewsGov

GIS – 28 July 2023: A joint press conference to review the 66th Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Commission for Africa was held, yesterday, at the Le Méridien Hotel, in Pointe aux Piments, following the Meeting’s closing ceremony.  The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Minister of Housing and Land Use Planning, Minister of Tourism, Mr Louis Steven Obeegadoo, cochaired the press conference along with the Secretary-General (SG) of the UNWTO, Mr Zurab Pololikashvili.

At the outset, DPM Obeegadoo recalled that the UNTWO, which brings together countries from the five continents, holds regular meetings with its member countries as a regional commission. “The last one was held one year ago in Tanzania, and this year, Mauritius had the honour of hosting the 66th edition of the Commission for Africa,” he stated.

Furthermore, Mr Obeegadoo highlighted that the event kicked off on Tuesday 25 July 2023, even before its official opening as the members were invited to participate in the celebrations of the 15th anniversary of the inclusion of Le Morne Cultural Landscape on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage List. “On the same occasion, we had the opportunity to invite our guests to visit the village of Le Morne which forms part of one of the two best tourist villages of the world selected by the UNWTO in 2021,” he pointed out.

The DPM also observed that on Wednesday 26 July 2023, the Ministerial meeting of the Commission for Africa was held and Mauritius was for the first time, designated President of the Commission. “The meeting ended with a Gala dinner hosted by Business Mauritius and served as a reminder that Mauritian tourism is based on an incessantly renewed public-private partnership that makes us a reference success story the world over,” Mr Obeegadoo stressed.

As regards Thursday 27 July 2023, he indicated that two working sessions focusing on the theme ‘Addressing Global Challenges’ and ‘Promoting Investment and Partnerships in Tourism for Economic Development’, were organised.

DPM Obeegadoo emphasised that the event was marked by two significant milestones, namely: for the very first time, the Meeting brought together 24 Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Tourism, representing the majority of Member States; and secondly, a large number of distinguished guests were present to reiterate the commitment to place tourism development in a global development context with all its challenges.

In fact, the Meeting brought together the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Rt Hon Patricia Scotland KC; the Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ms Chileshe Kapwepwe; and, the Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals of the African Union, Mr Albert Muchanga.  These personalities enriched the debates and reflections over the past few days, the DPM added.

For his part, the UNWTO’s SG congratulated DPM Obeegadoo for his hard work and good leadership as Minister of Tourism as he has succeeded in putting Mauritius in the center of the tourism world which was not easy with the challenges that the world faced these last years.

Mauritius, Mr Pololikashvili remarked, is a showcase for other countries as Post-COVID-19 recovery was really difficult, especially for remote countries with sparse connectivity, but the island has maintained and restarted its connectivity. “It is always an honour to work with such a partner country because Mauritius might be small in size, but is a very big example to the world on how to develop tourism and sustainability,” he added.

“It is not an easy job to be included among the 72 recognised best tourist villages of the world and yet, two are from Mauritius which again shows the leadership of the country and the hard work to achieve this,” Mr Pololikashvili also highlighted.

As regards the high attendance of Ministers, distinguished guests as well as public and private stakeholders who participated in the event, he remarked that this is very important as it helps to reflect on the existing challenges of the tourism sector and discuss the way forward. “It is an opportunity for all partners to work together to establish new contacts, friendships and, business routes for a more sustainable, responsible and, competitive tourism sector”, he said.

The UNWTO SG also dwelt on some activities related to the Conference, including the Memorandum of Understanding in relation to the tourism sector that was signed between Mauritius and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He reiterated the commitment to continue this partnership in order to create more jobs and investments.

Government Information Service, Prime Minister’s Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email: gis@govmu.org Website: https://gis.govmu.org  Mobile App: Search Gov

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