The Principal Secretary for Tourism, Mrs Sherin Francis, participated in the 65th Commission for Africa (CAF) meeting and forum on Rebuilding Africa’s Tourism Resilience held from 5th to 7th October 2022 in Arusha, Tanzania. Mrs Francis was accompanied on this mission by Ms Maryvonne Pool, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Seychelles in Tanzania and Ms. Diane Charlot, Director for International Cooperation at the Tourism Department.
The focus of the meeting was on the challenges and solutions for recovery and resilience of tourism in Africa, with new priorities focusing on investment, employment, connectivity, digital transformation, and sustainability.
Presenting an overview of international trends and outlook, the UNWTO Secretary General, HE. Zurab Pololikashvili stated that Africa has recorded strong growth in international tourism arrivals, attaining 60% of pre-pandemic levels. Mr Pololikashvili also highlighted the key initiatives and activities conducted during 2022, as well as the strategic objectives and priorities of the organisation.
On her part, the Seychelles Principal Secretary for Tourism thanked the UNWTO for the support provided to the island destination, especially in developing a Tourism Satellite Account System, which Seychelles became the first country to fully implement in September this year.
Mrs Francis congratulated the UNWTO for including sustainability and the development of the blue economy in its work programme, two items which are important for Seychelles. During her address, she appealed to member states to consider adopting sustainable tourism in solidarity with Small Island Developing States, such as Seychelles and Mauritius, which are continuously battling the issue of climate change.
The Principal Secretary for Tourism also intervened during the policy discussion on recovery, where she presented Seychelles’ best practices that have led to the country attaining 89% of its international visitor arrivals of the pre-pandemic period.
The CAF meeting was followed by a forum on Rebuilding Africa’s Tourism Resilience where Mrs Francis participated as a panelist. During her intervention, she presented the current strategy of high-value low-impact, with a focus on quality, value for money and product diversification currently implemented by Seychelles. This was followed by a presentation of the different areas of investment opportunities in tourism which is open for foreign investment in Seychelles.
The next UNWTO Commission for Africa is expected to take place in Mauritius in 2023.
