By NANCY MWAPE ZAMBIA and Zimbabwe are ready to co-host the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly, which starts this Saturday, Minister of Tourism and Arts Sylvia Masebo has declared. With less than a week to go, Ms Masebo says UNWTO member states are ready to participate in the general assembly with 147 countries having registered so far. Ms Masebo said this in Livingstone on Friday night during a cocktail to commemorate the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Day. She commended SADC member states for supporting Zambia and Zimbabwe to win the bid to co-host the UNWTO general assembly. “Without the support of SADC member states, both Zambia and Zimbabwe would not have managed to win the bid. “I am happy that in our preparations, both Zambia and Zimbabwe have ensured that SADC member states participate in one event or another,” she said. Ms Masebo also commended the UNWTO headquarters for supporting African journalists in capacity building on tourism reporting through a workshop held in Lusaka early this year. “With less than a week to go, we must seize the opportunity to showcase the Victoria Falls as the best destination in the world. Let us not lose this rare opportunity. So far, we have done well,” she said. Speaking at the same function, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Amos Malupenga said the SADC Day is held to commemorate the important role member states play in fostering regional integration, peace, unity and development. Last year, the day was commemorated with a media tour of the 24-kilometre stretch of the Chipata-Mchinji Railway in Eastern Province, a joint venture of Zambia and Malawi aimed at promoting trade and economic co-operation among countries in the region. This year, the focus is on the tourism sector and the UNWTO general assembly. Journalists from Southern Province celebrated the day with a media tour of UNWTO projects in Livingstone and crossed over to Victoria Falls Town to check on similar projects with their Zimbabwean counterparts. Mr Malupenga said the SADC secretariat in Botswana conducts an annual media competition on projects and programmes that promote regional integration. “I urge the media fraternity in the country not only to participate in the annual SADC media awards but also accord development issues in our region a priority in their coverage,” he said. Zimbabwe’s high commissioner to Zambia Lovemore Mazemo said Zambia and his country have a huge responsibility to ensure that they make the SADC region proud by successfully hosting the UNWTO general assembly
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 05:49:31 +0000