ATLANTA, GA – The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Dr, Eng Walter Mzembi was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award, the highest award presented at the African Diaspora World Tourism Awards dinner ceremony held Room 12 Hotel in Atlanta Ga, USA.
The event which saw other tourism professionals from around the world scooping various awards, was organised by the African Diasporatourism.com, an online publication exploring black culture and heritage worldwide, in association with Atlanta’s AD King Foundation, a non-profit organization promoting peace and none violence.
Speaking at the the prestigious event, the founder and publisher of the African Diaspora Tourism.com, Ms Kitty Pope said they were honoured to confer the highest award to Zimbabwe’s Tourism Minister, Dr Mzembi who is also the African Union Candidate for the UNWTO Secretary General post which will fall vacant in 2017.
She also added that Dr Mzembi was bestowed with the award because of his dedication to tourism as a force for innovation in fostering economic growth in Zimbabwe and his immense contribution to socio-economic landscape in Africa and the world at large.
“It is a great honour to present this award to Dr Walter Mzembi who has been endorsed by the African Union as the Candidate for the UNWTO Secretary General Post. We also recognise the sterling job he has done to change the face of tourism in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole. Not only is he dedicated to tourism in general, but he is also dedicated to cultural heritage tourism in Africa and her Diaspora. We as the Diaspora Community rally behind Dr Walter Mzembi on his quest to land the UNWTO Secretary General Post in 2017.” remarked Pope.
She also emphasised that the African Diaspora believes that Mzembi will be able to positively impact world tourism as the UNWTO Secretary General, and that impact will be felt by people in different communities around the world.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Marketing Manager Americas, Ms Nellia Nhauranwa who received the award on behalf of the honourable minister said the award that was bestowed on Dr Walter Mzembi is testimony of the confidence the African Diaspora has on the Honourable Minister.
“I am truly humbled to be receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of a man whose shoes are too big for me to fill, Dr Walter Mzembi. Such recognition of him is testament of his passion and dedication to the development of tourism not only in Zimbabwe but at a global scale hence his candidature of the UNWTO Secretary General post. We are appreciative of the support that the African Diaspora is rendering to us, an indication of the symbiotic relations that are in existence between us; that are, African Diaspora and the Motherland.” she said.
Africa continues to be an integral part of the African Diaspora through origin. This makes the Diaspora community a tourism niche market waiting to be tapped into.
