The ministers who confirmed are from Cabo Verde, Morocco,
Ivory Coast, South Africa, Chad, Ghana and Nigeria. This information was
confirmed by the Namibia Tourism Board (NTB) CEO Digu //Noabeb during an
engagement with the media over the weekend on Namibia's readiness to host the
event, aimed at finding ways for the swift recovery of the tourism sector in
the midst of the pandemic.
The UNWTO Brand Africa Conference will be held in Namibia
from 14 to 16 June 2021. Noabeb emphasised the need to comply with the new
public gathering restrictions of 50 persons.
"We received by 28 May overwhelming interest of about
146 delegates, which is a challenge we must manage in light with the new
Covid-19 regulation dealing with public gatherings," he said.
The programme of activities of the conference will include
presentations, interactive discussion sessions as well as technical visits,
which will be organised by the NTB as the host of the event.
The main objectives of the conference are to leverage
tourism as a cross-cutting sector, with a high impact on national and regional
branding to enhance the image of African destinations as the building blocks of
the overall image of Africa.
It also aims to engage the public and private sectors as
well as local communities and the diaspora in promoting positive stories and
experiences about Africa, developing synergies among countries to further
strengthen the positioning of the continent.
Equally, it aims to understand the policy framework in place
for SMEs to secure loans and facilitate access to capital and leverage business
performance during the pandemic.
//Noabeb said day one would consist of two parallel master
class training sessions, digital marketing for SMEs and branding. "Namibia
has 40 places, and attendance is by invitation and approval by NTB for Namibian
participants," he said. President Hage Geingob is expected to officiate at
the conference.
He noted Namibian delegation attendance is strictly by
invitation only by the tourism ministry and not through the UNWTO website
portal registration as currently is the case.
As the United Nations' specialised agency for tourism, UNWTO
has been actively guiding the sector's recovery and restart from this
unprecedented crisis. To reflect the new challenges, it has worked directly
with its African member states, including Namibia, to adapt the 2030 Agenda for
Africa on tourism for inclusive growth, the landmark roadmap for the
responsible growth of tourism across the continent.
Secretary general Zurab Pololikashvili met President Geingob
last November for talks on realising
the potential of tourism to drive sustainable development,
including for youth, women and rural communities.
At the time, the secretary general commended the head of
state for his leadership, particularly with regards to the international
tourism revival initiative, which includes the key health and safety protocols
that were drawn up by UNWTO.
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