Tourism Ministers from Cote D’Ivoire, Seychelles, Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal joined their counterparts from Morocco at the podium for a discussion on sustainable tourism while in Rabat, Morocco.
The Ministers were in Rabat this week to share a podium with their counterparts from Morocco for a Ministerial Panel on “Sustainability at the Heart of Public Policies.” This Ministerial Panel discussion in front of some five hundred experts and interested organizations as well as a large contingent of press was part of the 1st Morocco Day to mark Sustainable and Responsible Tourism.
The Tourism Ministers Roger Kacou from Cote D’Ivoire, Alain St.Ange from the Seychelles, Najib Balala from Kenya, Maimouna Ndoye Seck from Senegal, and Ulrich Jacques Andriantiana from Madagascar joined Lahcen Haddad of Morocco () at the podium for an hour-long panel discussion in an open hall that was full to capacity. Most of the Tourism Ministers present had a day before been in Spain where they were all attending FITUR, the Spanish Tourism Trade Fair. The moderator for the session was Arap Hoballah, the Chief at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for Sustainable Cities, Lifestyles and Industry, who kept seeking more clarification or examples of the good practices cited by the Ministers of Tourism present.
Sustainable and responsible tourism is today on the world agenda and more so since the successful COP 2015 meeting that was held in Paris. The Ministers of Tourism present all relayed their respective countries own good practices, and together they converged on proposals for their region and continent.
One such recommendation was for guidance and support of the United Nations Environment Program to help build on the Tourism Sustainable Label adopted by the different countries to be moved to a regional label before getting a continent wide label. All the Tourism Ministers present echoed their appreciation for Morocco’s drive to put sustainable and responsible tourism again on the agenda on the world stage, and they all assured their Moroccan counterparts of their support in that mission.
Seychelles is a founding member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP) . For more information on Seychelles Minister of Tourism and Culture Alain St.Ange, click here.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- All the Tourism Ministers present echoed their appreciation for Morocco’s drive to put sustainable and responsible tourism again on the agenda on the world stage, and they all assured their Moroccan counterparts of their support in that mission.
- The moderator for the session was Arap Hoballah, the Chief at the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for Sustainable Cities, Lifestyles and Industry, who kept seeking more clarification or examples of the good practices cited by the Ministers of Tourism present.
- One such recommendation was for guidance and support of the United Nations Environment Program to help build on the Tourism Sustainable Label adopted by the different countries to be moved to a regional label before getting a continent wide label.
