VoyagesAfriq Travel Magazine (Issue 007)

Page 8

African Ministers of Tourism, Transport and Aviation adopt Santa Maria, Sal Island Declaration

T

he First Ministerial Conference on Air Transport and Tourism in Africa co-organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Government of Cabo Verde has ended in Sal Island, Cabo Verde, attracting over 20 Ministers of Tourism, Transport and Aviation from Africa. Within the framework of both the tourism and aviation sectors, the event focused on bringing key players together to define a unified process for sustainable development. Among the topics discussed were proposals that would enable African States to maximize and balance the benefits of tourism and aviation services and also obstacles that the region currently faces. Opening the ceremony, H.E. Jorge Carlos Fonseca, President of Cabo Verde spoke of difficulties facing his nation, placing particular emphasis on weakened infrastructure in Cabo Verde and an overall lack of coordination within the Africa region; He added: “This is a very serious obstacle to the goal of making Africa a tourism destination of excellence and the first choice for people from other continents."

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VOYAGESAFRIQ

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili welcomed the joint event as two naturally connected sectors, stating “this symbiotic relationship is mutually reinforcing and interdependent. This is especially true for a small developing island state such as Cabo Verde, which is almost fully dependent on air transport access.” He added that “the recent agreement between Cabo Verde Airlines and IcelandAir is a step towards an Atlantic Hub based on the island of Sal. It allows the expansion of Cabo Verde Airlines while representing an efficient publicprivate partnership”. Closing the event, the Prime Minister of Cabo Verde, H.E. Ulisses Correia e Silva, hailed the new focus on air transport and tourism as progress for the nation and stressed the importance of creating a framework for the development of air transport and tourism in Africa. He urged African

authorities to join forces to improve connectivity within the region. The President of the ICAO Council, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, suggested that the unique joint event between the two organizations was long overdue and has been a testimony to the new dynamics that are taking shape between tourism and air transport in Africa. The conference concluded with the approval and adoption of the Ministerial Declaration and Action Plan on Air Transport and Tourism Development in Africa by all Ministers in attendance. The Declaration outlines the direction that the signing governments will take in order to advance innovative and sustainable solutions to foster the development of air connectivity and seamless travel on the African continent while building a common understanding and response to the business imperatives through strengthened dialogue between the two sectors. The conference was attended by over 300 participants, including 21 Ministers of Tourism, Transport, and Aviation from 34 Member States and 29 International organisations.


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Articles inside

Tourism enterprises commit to sustainable and inclusive tourism practice at 5th STAS Confab

23min
pages 51-64

Ethiopian Airlines wins ‘African Champion of the Year’ Award AFDB does not fund acquisition of planes

12min
pages 46-50

Emirates announces an interline agreement with Africa World Airlines

3min
page 45

7th World Tourism Forum Lucerne heads to Ras AlKhaimah

1min
pages 43-44

Bombadierembarks on CRJ Series Africa Tour

2min
page 42

Visa 'red tape'and crime are deterring tourists from coming to SA – says Ramaphosa UNWTO launches preliminary report on Visa Openness in Africa

3min
page 35

AFRICAN SUN HOTELS records massive growth in their operations

3min
pages 40-41

PERSONALITY PROFILE Jimi Kariuki - MD Sarova Hotels & Board Chairman of Kenya Tourism Board

6min
pages 32-34

UNWTO Secretary General calls on Egyptian President UNWTO participates in SITA Travel Exhibition

3min
page 39

The Seychelles Island

2min
pages 36-38

4th AViaDev Africa conference closes on a high note

3min
pages 30-31

Air Seychelles inks deal with Air-Fi for new wifi services on its Airbus A320 NEO TIDA 2019 Conference Focuses On Impact Of Sustainable Tourism

3min
page 29

Issue IN THIS

9min
pages 16-21

University of Brighton holds workshop on arts and waste for sustainable community dev’t in Accra

2min
page 25

VoyagesAfriq is 2018 Tourism Oriented Media of the Year Onomo Hotels remain on expansion course

2min
page 15

World Travel Market - Africa wraps up

3min
pages 22-24

UNWTO partners Telefónica ...to promote tourism sector digitalization

2min
pages 27-28

Human Capital pivotal in the Digital World of Tourism experts reveal

3min
pages 10-11

Winners of The Start Up Innovation Camp In Switzerland Take Home US$ 20K

1min
page 26

African Ministers of Tourism, Transport and Aviation adopt Santa Maria, Sal Island Declaration

3min
pages 8-9
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