Africa and the Americas meet at historic summit to plan a common tourism future

05-10-24

Leading representatives of the tourism sector in Africa and the Americas have jointly pledged to work together to ensure that the sector becomes a pillar of collective, sustainable and inclusive development on both continents.

The Punta Cana Declaration was adopted at the end of the first joint meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commissions for Africa and the Americas, following two days of discussions on the key issues of training and investment in the sector. The summit, which built on the historical ties between the two regions, as well as their unique and complementary cultures, was a landmark event and served to strengthen cooperation and emphasise the importance of capitalising on innovation, education, investment and creative industries for the future development of tourism.

This summit provides a unique platform to forge connections and build bridges between Africa and the Americas, create strategic inter-regional partnerships and foster South-South cooperation projects, all for the benefit of the tourism sector in the two regions.

The event was attended by some 200 high-level participants, including 14 ministers from 27 countries (15 American and 12 African). In his welcoming remarks, UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: David Collado, Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic and Chair of the Regional Commission for the Americas, and Auxillia Mnangagwa, patron of the tourism sector in her country and First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, joined UN Tourism representatives to welcome the delegates and encourage building bridges between the two regions.

UN Tourism Executive Director Natalia Bayona said: ‘Africa and the Americas have rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes and deep historical connections. However, it is clear that the challenges they face - limited connectivity, a range of regulatory and administrative barriers and little knowledge of each other's markets - prevent the relationship between the two tourism sectors from being as strong as it could be.

Today, our goal is to address these challenges head on and foster a partnership that will help drive economic development, promote cultural exchange and foster sustainable practices that will benefit all of our communities.

The Punta Cana Declaration

In a clear demonstration of South-South cooperation, the Punta Cana Declaration set out a series of mutual commitments for the development of tourism as an engine of inclusive development. In the Declaration, tourism leaders from both regions recognise that it is crucially important to ‘intensify our collective efforts to foster sustainable development’ through tourism, with a special focus on ‘strategic investment in education, innovation and creative industries’.  The document, which reflects the spirit of this historic Punta Cana Summit, also underlines the importance of tourism as a tool for preserving a shared and unique culture and heritage.

The signatories of the Declaration expressed their intention to ‘redouble their efforts’, in particular in the following areas:

• Strategic investments: Strengthening public-private partnerships, stimulating investment in the sector and prioritising investment through more effective policy making. Also boost connectivity between the two regions, both in terms of improving air links and facilitating cultural exchange.

• Skills development and training: Prioritise investment in tourism education and training, expand access to online and offline learning and promote the use of innovation and new digital skills to improve the skills of the tourism workforce.

• Innovation: Promote competitions of startups and entrepreneurs from both regions to better support MSMEs, including those in rural communities, and promote innovative solutions focused on sustainability and climate action.

• Creative industries: Promote the role of cultural and creative industries in the tourism sector, including by funding projects with the potential to attract tourists, develop new and diverse cultural destinations and routes, and ensure that the benefits brought by the sector are geared towards social and inclusive development.

• Inter-regional cooperation: Support market analysis and other research to identify potential areas of growth and shared opportunities and develop common strategies for tourism development, including through digital media, new products and international tourism fairs.

Innovation and education: ‘Building a better tomorrow today’.

In line with UN Tourism's broader focus on investment in the sector, the summit brought together leaders from the public and private sectors, along with key representatives of financial institutions, to assess the current landscape and trends and prospects for Africa and the Americas.

High-level speakers pointed to the enormous potential for joint investment initiatives between the two regions, emphasising the growing role of public and private banking. The summit also focused on the vital importance of investment in driving the green transition of tourism in both Africa and the Americas, particularly in infrastructure and the hotel sector.

In addition to innovation, the summit focused on education and training, emphasising the pressing need for skilled personnel in both regions. With a particular focus on talented young people, who must lead the transformation, tourism leaders recognised the need to foster joint initiatives in capacity building, curriculum development and partnership building between academic institutions, industry players and government agencies in both regions.