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The signing of the agreement marked the official countdown to the 20th session of the general assembly next year.
Zimbabwe and Zambia are co-hosting the general assembly, the second to be held in Africa. The first UNWTO general assembly on the African continent was hosted by Senegal in 2005. Zimbabwe and Zambia, by co-hosting the general assembly, have been afforded a lifetime opportunity to prove to the world that they have the capacity to host the millions of tourists from around the world. The two countries are not only representing the Southern African region but the entire African continent which at the moment accounts for just five percent of tourist arrivals from the world market.
The general assembly will run from 24 to 29 August next year and what this means is that the two countries have less than 15 months to prepare to host this historic meeting which brings together about 5 000 delegates from UNWTO’s six regional commissions which are Africa, the Americas, Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.
The Zimbabwean Government, which attaches great importance to the hosting of this general assembly, has appointed Vice President Joice Mujuru to head the inter-ministerial committee that is spearheading the preparations for the hosting of the general assembly. The major projects to be undertaken in the resort town of Victoria Falls, which is co-hosting the event with Livingstone town of Zambia, include the 3 000 seater convention centre, the refurbishment of Victoria Falls District Hospital and upgrading of the Victoria Falls Airport.
Construction of the convention centre should have started by now given the amount of work involved if the country is to meet the deadline to host the assembly. Government should, without delay, release the required funding for the different projects to be undertaken. We have already alluded to the fact that the hosting of this assembly is a lifetime opportunity for the two countries to demonstrate to the world that they are tourism destinations of choice and this entails providing world class facilities and services. We cannot afford to do a hurried job as we upgrade and construct facilities such as the convention centre hence the call on the Government to immediately release funding so that work can start as soon as possible.
Those in the tourism industry on their part should start upgrading their facilities to meet world standards. The assembly provides a unique marketing opportunity for all in the hospitality industry and once we impress these delegates drawn from around the globe, we are guaranteed a market for years to come. The assembly provides the country an opportune time to correct the distortions of the hostile western media which over the years has subjected the country to negative publicity.
The challenge at hand therefore is to ensure that delegates to the assembly experience the true Zimbabwean hospitality which should encourage them to stay a few more days after the assembly. Zimbabwe boasts of many tourist attractions which include Mighty Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe National Monument in Masvingo, Chinhoyi Caves in Mashonaland West and many tourist attractions dotted in Manicaland among others.
We want to once again implore those tasked with preparing for the hosting of the general assembly to ensure all projects being undertaken are completed on time so that we fulfill President Mugabe’s pledge to make the general assembly a memorable one.
Online Reporter