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Ghana’s Ambassador to Spain presents Credentials to UNWTO Scribe
• The Ambassador presenting his credentials to the Secretary General, with them is the
Director of Africa Department Elcia Grandcourt
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Ghana’s newly appointed envoy to Spain, H.E. Muhammed Adam has presented his Letters of Credence to the Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili.
The Secretary-General on receiving the Ambassador said that “Ghana is determined to restart tourism around education, advancing coordination, empowering young people and promoting gastronomy tourism.” “You have our full support!” he assured. UNWTO’s Regional Director for Africa, Elcia Grandcourt commenting stated that this is a time where the organisation needs to remain connected with its members more than ever before to ensure better coordination and cooperation as they work towards the recovery of the tourism sector.
“It was a pleasure and refreshing to meet with H.E. Muhammad Adam, Ambassador of Ghana to Spain as he presented his credentials to the Secretary-General and also talk about the future of the sector. It was also an opportunity for him to share the initiatives that Ghana has been undetaking to restart their tourism sector,” she added.
Namibia set to host UNWTO Brand Africa Confab in June
Namibia is set to hold Regional Conference on Tourism and Brand Africa in the second quarter of the year. The Southern African country was initially pencilled to host the brand conference last year but was put on hold as a result of the Coronavirus.
The Country’s capital of Windhoek will host Tourism Ministers, experts and stakeholders from 14-16 June 2021. During his four-day state visit to Namibia in November 2020, the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Zurab Pololikashvili said, they are committed to holding the event in Namibia next year and in consultation with the Namibian Government will fix a date for the event.
He added that, the conference will be an opportune platform to look for new ways to make Africa a must visit destination and position it in the minds of travelers. Speaking on National TV, the UNWTO Boss said, "it was possible to restart tourism in a responsible way which will help protect livelihoods." On his impression of the country, he said Namibia is open for tourism and was impressed with the protocols put in place at the port of entry as well as at major tourism establishments.
The UNWTO Agenda for Africa identifies branding as a major area to help create a positive image of Africa as a tourism destination that supports the efforts of individual countries and companies, tells the many positive stories about Africa and make tourism a driver of development.
UN Agencies Partner for Guide to help Women in Tourism recover from Crisis
• Maasai Women in Amboselli, Kenya
As the sector enters the second year of an unprecedented crisis, the impact this has had on women in tourism has been made clear. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the pandemic, and the unprecedented drop in international tourist arrivals, risks rolling back progress made towards achieving gender equality and efforts to empower women and girls.
UNWTO is marking 'International Women’s Day 2021' with the release of its Inclusive Recovery Guide for women in tourism, compiled in collaboration with UN Women. UNWTO data shows that women make up the majority of the tourism workforce (54%). Women in tourism are also often concentrated in low-skilled or informal work. This means that they are feeling the economic shock caused by the crisis more acutely and quicker than their male counterparts. In many cases, they are cut off from the social and healthcare protections that are so vital in a global pandemic.
Crisis “has a woman’s face”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres says, “As the world marks International Women’s Day in the midst of a global pandemic, one stark fact is clear: the COVID-19 crisis has a woman’s face.” UNWTO SecretaryGeneral Zurab Pololikashvili adds, “Tourism is a proven driver of equality and opportunity. This unprecedented crisis has hit our sector’s women fast and hard, which is why gender equality and empowerment must be at centre stage as we work together to restart tourism and accelerate recovery.”
Recommendations for inclusive recovery
Almost one year on since the pandemic was officially declared, the negative impact it is having on women and girls has become devastatingly clear. This increase in women’s economic and social insecurity combined with the observed rise in unpaid care work and domestic violence means that women in tourism have been disproportionately affected by the devastating effects of the pandemic on the sector. The Inclusive Recovery Guide provides recommendations to policymakers, businesses and civil society actors in tourism for designing gender-responsive measures in response to the ongoing pandemic.
