East Africa country, Tanzania is set to host the 65th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), meeting in October 2022, with about 54 Ministers of Tourism across the continent expected at the annual meet.
According to tanzaniatimes.net, it will be a timely meeting too, considering that most countries in Africa are just recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic which had stifled the global travel industry for the last 24 months.
But, will the October meet help solve the problem?
And as if that wasn’t enough, the bitter icing on the already sour cake came in form of the ongoing Russia versus Ukraine war in the Eastern Europe which, coupled with various sanctions and travel restrictions may further hurt the already ailing tourism industry in Africa.
Last year, the Paris-based Tanzanian Embassy in France, had announced that the decision to endorse Tanzania’s candidature to host the 65th session was passed during the 64th meeting of the UNWTO commission for Africa held in September 2021 at the Sal Island, Cabo Verde.
READ: Africa: Suspending Russia from UNWTO maybe illegal says Tourism Elders
So, come next October 2022, a total of 54 Ministers of Tourism from African countries and other potential stakeholders in the travel industry, including famous global investors in tourism will be converging in Tanzania.
While the venue is yet to be confirmed, it anticipated that Arusha, Tanzania’s Tourism Capital up North, may be chosen to host the major the event which is coming up in eight months’ time.
UNWTO Commission for Africa Meeting 2022 is expected to further foster Tanzania’s tourism industry and highly promote the country’s destinations such as the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Mount Kilimanjaro.
Tanzania is home to East Africa’s biggest (Nyerere) National Park, as well as the second biggest (Ruaha) National Park, both mapped within the Southern Circuit. However, it is the Serengeti, famous for its annual wildebeests’ migration which is the most popular National Park despite ranking third in size.
