Mozambique, South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Zambia join UNWTO Executive Board

MZQ | eTurboNews | eTN
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With this UNWTO Executive Board election African UNWTO member state hope they can contribute to the recovery of Africa in the post-COVID-19, empowering rural communities to make tourism a true tool for generating wealth.

  • Mozambique is among the five countries appointed to the Executive Board of the World Tourism Organization for the period 2021-2025.
  • The announcement of Mozambique’s integration was made during the 64th Meeting of the Regional Commission of the World Tourism Organization for Africa CAF/UNWTO and 2nd Edition of Global Tourism of OMT – Investment Forum in Africa, in Sal Island, Cape Verde, which took place between 2 and 4 September 2021.
  • In addition to the appointment, the meeting aimed to discuss the development of tourism in the Africa region, the priorities of the OMT and the lines of work.

Mozambique was selected from a total of seven candidates. Thus, the other appointed Member States that will represent Africa on the OMT Executive Board for the period 2021-2025 are South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, and Zambia.

Nigeria and Ghana were left out.

Present at the meeting, The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Eldevina Materula, said that “at a time when we are experiencing one of the worst crises in world tourism, this is one of the great victories we have achieved and will help to boost our tourism. It is also a response at the continent level and recognition of Mozambique’s agenda for the development of African tourism.”

On the trip to Cape Verde, Materula was accompanied by the Director General of INATUR, Marco Vaz dos Anjos, and the Deputy National Director of Planning and Cooperation, Isabel da Silva.

It should be said that the Executive Council (EC) is a structural body of the WTO, with the task of taking the necessary measures, consulted by the Secretary-General, to implement the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly.

The 64th CAF Meeting, which ended on Saturday (4), brought together African tourism ministers, representatives of the OMT Secretariat, including the Secretary-General of the OMT, Zurab Pololikashvili, and partners in the sector. The session was opened by the President of the Republic of Cape Verde, Jorge Carlos Fonseca.

This annual meeting provides a platform where public and private sector stakeholders gather to exchange ideas on the current state of the sustainable tourism development agenda of their countries and the Region of Africa.

CAF’s mission is to support and assist OMT member states and other stakeholders in the region in their efforts to develop the tourism area as a catalyst for sustainable economic and social development, ensuring that members fully benefit from the organization’s services.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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