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TOURISM and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi on 19 October held a high-level meeting with Saudi Arabia Minister of Tourism Ahmed bin Aqil al-Khateeb, on the sidelines of the General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Posting on her X handle, Minister Rwodzi who is attending the 25th UNWTO General Assembly said the discussion focused on enhancing cooperation in the field of tourism and developing initiatives to promote both countries.
“Today’s highlight was a high-level meeting with the Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Ahmed bin Aqil al-Khateeb, on the sidelines of the General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, who is the UNWTO Executive Council Chairman.
“Issues discussed were the literacy rate which is very high while the actual sector skills are a key requirement in the Tourism Sector to meet the demands of the consumer.
She added, “The signing of the Zimbabwe – Saudi Arabia MOU in the shortest possible time Possible investment and collaboration on Mosi A Tunya Land in Vic Falls. Our (Zimbabwe) possible appointment to the UNWTO Task Force for Africa’s Tourism issues to be addressed by the Secretariat.
“In the morning, I enjoyed the Education Forum that was extremely captivating and interesting to know that many countries across the globe have scaled up their Education Curriculums, focusing on Promoting Tourism Skills, from Primary education to Secondary education and all the way to Tertiary Education.
“The Tourism Sector employs 10 percent of the World and the Youthful Population, making it vital for countries to balance the gap between the literacy rate which is very high while the actual sector skills are a key requirement in the Tourism Sector to meet the demands of the consumer.
“We are on course with Education 5.0 as a country which is meant to balance the average skills availability across all sectors.”
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