admin
The two presidents appended their signatures to co-hosting of the UNWTO general assembly to be convened next year in August, on the historic Victoria Falls Bridge adjacent to the incomparable and one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the mighty Victoria Falls, which produced its wonderful spray on the delegates.
Yesterday’s ceremony also saw the two presidents signing the Golden Book of tourism.
The two Presidents were also given open letters by Mr Rifai urging them to support tourism in their countries.
President Mugabe said by appending their signatures to the Trilateral Host Agreement, the two countries were now officially inviting the global village to the general assembly.
He said the signing ceremony was making the official count down to the 20th Session of the general assembly next year.
“The signing of the Trilateral Host Agreement is of historical importance. For our people, the signing of the agreement attests to our commitment and our readiness to welcome the entire tourism fraternity to our countries,” said President Mugabe.
“For the UN World Tourism Organisation, on the other hand, the signatures testify to the confidence and trust that has been bestowed upon us. It is a huge responsibility but one that we earned through the hard work that our campaigns performed to have this important meeting come to Africa.
“I want to assure you Mr Secretary General and all other stakeholders of our unyielding resolve and determination to make the forthcoming UNWTO Assembly a memorable one.”
President Mugabe said the event actualised the yearning to promote seamless cross-border tourism.
“For us as ‘Siamese twins’, Zimbabwe and Zambia, the pledge is to assiduously work together towards August next year, and hence the signing ceremony confirms our readiness to work together to promote tourism primarily in our own countries while also casting the net wider to reach other tourism markets,” he said.
President Mugabe said the event also demonstrated the long established relationship between the two countries and people who are bound together by a common and rich tapestry of culture, heritage and history.
“It is a relationship that was shaped, tried and tested by the difficult times visited upon our people by settler colonialism.
Either side of the Zambezi River we have the Tonga people presided over by Chief Mvutu in Zimbabwe and his counterpart, Chief Mukuni in Zambia. The two traditional leaders are with us today.
“They do not see the Zambezi River as a border, as something keeping their people apart. Rather, the mighty river is a source of their livelihood, providing their communities with water and food,” he said.
“It is this umbilical cord, the majestic Zambezi River, on which the iconic Victoria Falls rests, which convinced our two countries to rise to the challenge of hosting the World Tourism Organisation general assembly.”
President Mugabe assured the secretary-general that the country would spare no effort in delivering to the whole global tourism family a uniquely African experience.
“We are proud to join Senegal, which is the only other African country to have hosted this general assembly before. We also wish to put on record our most sincere appreciation to you, Dr Taleb Rifai, in your capacity as the secretary general of the UNWTO and through you, to your esteemed organisation for showing confidence in us as a tourism destination of choice,” he said.
“For our two countries the privilege of hosting next year’s general assembly challenges us to invest more in a sector that has been a positive performer for most of the time.
“Indeed, tourism has the potential to create employment, help in the fight against poverty, empower our people and take us closer to meeting some targets of the Millennium Development Goals. It is our hope that your visit here would inspire others to follow your footsteps and visit the mighty Victoria Falls, one of the great wonders of the world.
“This site, which is a priceless gift from the Almighty, still calls on the world to come and bask in its glory. Our two countries hope that this roaring call will receive a positive response wherever it is heard.”
Speaking at the same occasion, President Sata said the two countries now had a legally binding document for co-hosting the general assembly.
“This signing ceremony is a milestone in the preparation for the general assembly. This is a rare opportunity for two countries to co-host and attests UNWTO’s commitment to the development of tourism in Africa,” he said.
“The Government of Zambia strongly believes that tourism should bring tremendous socio-economic progress and should be a catalyst for rural development. My government takes tourism as one of the core sections of economic development and poverty alleviation,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr Rifai also reiterated the importance of tourism to the socio-economic development of nations.
He said it was high time Africa stood up and was counted in the sector that sees it getting a mere five percent of arrivals from the world market.
“This is the time for you to rise up to the challenge because Africa has the potential to grow in the coming years. The world is coming to see you and you now have 15 months to the day when the general assembly starts and I have no doubt that you will host the first ever successful assembly,” said Mr Rifai.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Ministers of Tourism from the two countries, Engineer Walter Mzembi and his Zambian counterpart, Mr Given Lubinda.
Also present were the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Dr Obert Mpofu and the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Dr Ignatius Chombo as well as senior Government officials from the two countries.
Bongani Ndlovu