TOURISM & TRANSPORT In Africa MINISTERS WILL MEET IN SEYCHELLES On October FOLLOWING AGREEMENT SIGNED BY UNWTO SECRETARY GENERAL
Almasalla Arab Travel Portal News – Tourism and Transport Ministers are to meet in a historic first joint Ministerial Conference on Tourism and Air Transport in Africa on the 14 and 15 October 2014 in the Seychelles.
The announcement was made following the signature of an agreement between the UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) during the UNWTO Commission For Africa (CAF) Ministerial Meeting held in Angola last week.
The Tourism & Transport Ministerial Conference will address critical issues related to bridging air transport and tourism policies, including the current regulatory framework, taxation and the way forward in facilitating all the travel process.
UNWTO is itself committed to improving air connectivity through a closer coordination of tourism and aviation policies to ensure sustained growth of the tourism sector and that of air transport.
It was Taleb Rifai, the Secretary General of the UNWTO and Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture who signed the agreement for the Seychelles to host this historic joint Ministerial Conference.
The signature of the agreement was witnessed by Boubacar Djibo, the Director Air Transport Bureau of the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) and effected at the Commission For Africa (CAF) Ministerial Meeting in Angola.
About the joint Ministerial Conference between Tourism and Transport Ministers, the UNWTO stated:- Tourism is considered as an engine of economic growth and development, especially for small and emerging economies. Intrinsically, tourism development has become a critical target for many governments, especially in developing countries.
There is a general agreement that tourism is not only one of the most important export sectors that boost exchange earnings but also increases employment opportunities, prompt tourism industry growth and in virtue of this stands as a stimulus to the economy as a whole.
Reacting on the first edition of the UNWTO & ICAO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation & International Civil Aviation Organisation) Tourism and Transport Ministerial Conference to be held in Seychelles in October 2014, Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism and Culture said that the meeting between Tourism and Transport Ministers was overdue.
"Seychelles salutes the effort by the UNWTO and the ICAO to make this Tourism and Transport Ministerial Conference a reality. We all know that it was needed and at the October Meeting in Seychelles a new page in history will written.
As Seychelles we remain committed to unity as much in the Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands and in Africa as we believe in unity in purpose to ensure that Tourism continues to make a major contribution to economic growth and development" Minister St.Ange said.
The Tourism & Transport Ministerial Conference is set to attract a very large number of Ministers to Seychelles this coming October. Tourism Organisations are also being invited for this historic meeting.
