United Nations Africa-Americas meeting on Tourism to be held in October
The Dominican Republic, as part of its chairmanship of the UN Tourism Commission for the Americas and as a country initiative, will host the first joint meeting of tourism leaders from Africa and the Americas, a meeting that marks a milestone for UN Tourism as it is the first time that two regions of the world will meet to discuss the future of tourism in their respective regions and how to contribute to the development of the nations that comprise them.
Carlos Peguero, Vice Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic, revealed the proposed meeting in an exclusive interview with Kojo Bentum-Williams of VoyagesAfriq during the 121st United Nations Tourism Executive Council Meeting held in Barcelona, Spain.
Explaining the details of the first meeting between the two regions, Carlos Peguero highlighted that the event, called ‘1st UN Tourism Bi-regional Meeting in Africa-America’, will take place from October 3 to 4, 2024, in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. In a context marked by global interconnectedness and cultural diversity, South-South cooperation between Africa and Latin America emerges as a key factor in promoting sustainable development and achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda.
The bi-regional meeting aims to enhance cooperation between Africa and the Americas, recognizing and leveraging their cultural diversity and shared tourism products, and ultimately promoting the promotion and development of tourism in both regions.
According to Vice Minister Peguero, both regions boast a wide variety of impressive natural attractions, a rich cultural heritage and a wide range of undiscovered experiences, where the tourism sector offers a viable path for economic diversification, employment generation, innovation, entrepreneurship, preservation and enhancement of cultural and natural heritage, and sustainable development.
These characteristics represent a turning point in the promotion of a transformative strategic partnership.
As he describes it: “Our main objective is to strengthen South-South relations and cooperation. Beyond that, we hope to see the cultural diversity in terms of tourism products, what we can generate from each side, and see how we can help each other to continue driving tourism development,” said Peguero.
The event will also recognize the important historical and cultural impact of Africa in the Americas, as a large part of the population is of African descent.
According to Peguero, “there is a very important element, the recognition of Africa’s legacy to the Americas because although the Spanish colonized the Americas, in one way or another, there was also colonization from Africa to the Americas. Maybe not voluntarily, but they were taken there and they are part of all America. “Africa is part of the historical, cultural and gastronomic legacy of all that is America.”
Source:Diariolibre.com
