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Victoria Falls Reporter
ZIMBABWE is on track to co-host the 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly next month, a Cabinet Minister said. Addressing a Press conference at the end of a two-day final inspection visit by technical experts from UNWTO headquarters in Madrid, Spain, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi, said the technical experts had indicated that the country was on track to co-host the tourism indaba.
Zimbabwe and Zambia would co-host the general assembly starting on 24 August and ending on 29 August.
The technical team, headed by UNWTO relations and services executive director, Mr Zoltan Somogyi, regional director for Africa, Mr Osumane Diane and Mr Munir Rates, chief of conferences was in the resort town on Friday and Saturday to conduct the final inspection.
The team was coming from Livingstone- Zambia where they conducted a similar inspection.
Said Eng Mzembi: “We have been assessed and certified by UNWTO through their successive visits to the country. This is their last one before we co-host the mega event and to quote them directly, they said things are looking very good and therefore we are on track.”
Eng Mzembi who was flanked by Mr Somogyi, the Deputy Chief Secretary to the Cabinet, Mr Justine Mupamhanga and the permanent secretary for Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Ms Margaret Mukahanana- Sangarwe, said by end of July, all projects earmarked for the indaba would have been completed.
“Come end of July, we would be done with all the projects,” he said.
Eng Mzembi also said plans to make Victoria Falls and Livingstone cyber towns were at an advanced stage.
“This is going to be a paperless conference and the two towns are going to be hotspots for Internet connection. We have commitment from the Ministry of Communication that everything is in order to turn this town into a cyber-town,” said Eng Mzembi.
He allayed fears that the proposed harmonised elections would interfere with the general assembly.
Eng Mzembi said he was happy that President Mugabe had designated 31 July as the date for the elections.
The technical team left Victoria Falls for Livingstone en-route to Madrid where they are expected to table a positive report on the country’s state of preparedness.
The technical team’s visit comes less than 54 days before the mega event and hardly a month after Zimbabwe and Zambia were given the final endorsement by the UNWTO executive council at a meeting in Serbia. Hotels, restaurants and stakeholders in Victoria Falls embarked on a massive facelift in line with Government preparations.
This is the first time that UNWTO general assembly is being held in Southern Africa and the second time it is being held on the African continent after Senegal hosted it in 2007.
More than 1 200 delegates, among them ministers of tourism from 186 countries, captains of the tourism industry, tourist wholesalers and stakeholders are expected to attend the general assembly.
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