The rise of tourism over the past 60 years has been one of the most remarkable socio-economic phenomena of our times. Since 1950, the number of tourist trips has grown by an average of +6% a year reaching over one billion in 2012 and yielding revenue growth of +11% a year. The benefit to the economies of many developing countries has been enormous. Subsaharan Africa, for example, has doubled its international tourist numbers over the last decade only.
But the media coverage of tourism is more likely to portray it as a succession of palm-fringed beaches, ancient monuments and spectacular wildlife, than as a sector injecting skills, capital, employment and opportunity into societies. Does this matter? What impact does the way tourism is portrayed have on the sector itself?
Join the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to discuss these questions and to gain practical insight into the many angles of tourism reporting on March 26 and 27 at Lusaka, Zambia.
INVESTOUR is an annual tourism business and knowledge exchange platform in which representatives of African tourism and potential Spanish investors/partners meet to discuss about business and cooperation opportunities.
The Forum is a joint initiative of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the International Tourism Fair of Madrid (FITUR) and Casa África (representing the Spanish Government) that arises from the growing importance of Tourism in Africa as a catalyst of socio-economic development and recognition of its potential as a destination for tourism investment and cooperation with Spain in the following areas:
Tourism project financing and investments
The promotion and representation of destinations in the Spanish outbound market
The creation and improvement of hotel establishments
Ecotourism operations in national parks and protected areas
The promotion of wildlife-based tourism; safaris, etc.
The promotion of cultural tourism
The transfer of technology and know-how in the hotel business and tourism sector
Infrastructure and transport
The overall objective of the Forum is to promote sustainable tourism development in Africa by opening up its destinations to the Spanish outbound and investment market, in the occasion of FITUR, fostering the growth of Africa's entrepreneurial fabric and job creation.
The 4rd edition of the Forum is divided in two sessions, a first session focused on presentations and debates, and a second session dedicated to "Business to Business" (B2B) meetings between African project Managers and Spanish companies.
At the gracious invitation of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the World Tourism Organization was organizing the First Pan-African Conference on Sustainable Tourism Management in National Parks and Protected Areas: Challenges and Opportunities in Arusha from 15 to 18 October 2012. The Conference was being organized in collaboration with the Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
Nature-based tourism or eco-tourism is a large and growing global industry, partially dependent upon the attributes of the natural environment and biodiversity wildlife and scenery which represent one of Africa’s strategic competitive advantages as a destination.
The conference aimed to encourage professional approach to better position “park tourism” as one of the core components of overall national park management in Africa and to acquire an overview of the current challenges in terms of demand and supply chain. Furthermore new partnerships and business models shall impulse re-engineering of park management structures in order to maximize the economics and social benefits to the local communities.
The town of Arusha, Tanzania is the country’s safari capital located in the north of the country. It has a population of 427,185 (2005 est.). This city is located on a plateau in the Great Rift Valley amidst the Serengeti plains, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro.
International development banks, UN agencies and intergovernmental organizations have pledged to support the sustainable development of tourism in a network of parks spanning ten countries in West Africa. Commitments to the West Africa Parks Project came out of a UNWTO Donor’s Conference held in Dakar, Senegal (27-28 May 2011), chaired by the Prime Minister of Senegal,Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye,and attended by Ministers of Tourism of West African countries.
“Today, major international organizations have pinpointed tourism as one of the most effective tools for Africa’s economic growth and development,” said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai, opening the Conference. “With their support, sustainable tourism can flourish, generating jobs and income for local communities, while protecting the region’s rich biodiversity”.
The President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, is the latest head of state to join the ongoing World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Leaders for Tourism Campaign.
Mission Our mission is to support and assist UNWTO African members and other stakeholders from the region in their efforts to develop their tourism industry as a catalyst for sustainable economic and social development, and ensuring that the members fully benefit from the services of the organization.
Nature-based tourism or eco-tourism is a large and growing global industry, partially dependent upon the attributes of the natural environment and biodiversity wildlife and scenery which represent one of Africa’s strategic competitive advantages as a destination.
