Delegates book, register for UNWTO

Business
AT least 63 country delegations have made bookings in Victoria Falls as preparations for the UNWTO General Assembly enters the home stretch.

AT least 63 country delegations have made bookings in Victoria Falls as preparations for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly enters the home stretch.

BY NDAMU SANDU

Zimbabwe and Zambia are co-hosting the 20th session of the meeting in Victoria Falls and Livingstone respectively from August 24 to 29. The increased bookings come ahead of the arrival of the UNWTO secretariat tomorrow.

Tourism and Hospitality Industry minister Walter Mzembi told Standardbusiness that country bookings had taken a lull in the three weeks leading up to the harmonised elections held two weeks ago.

“In the last nine days post-election, we have seen heightened activity on accommodation by country delegations. As of August 8, we have 63 country delegations that have made bookings equivalent to over 600 rooms,” Mzembi said.

He said hotels in Victoria Falls were now dropping government booking to accommodate foreign delegates first. He said the country was 85% prepared for the event and the conference structure was coming up.

The government has said it intends to retain the aluminium and glass structure after the meeting and turn the resort town into a conferencing city.

Mzembi said Treasury was supportive of the event and had released funds as down payments to contractors.

“In this post-election, we are now filling the space which politics was crowding us out. In terms of allocations, we are back on Treasury priority list,” he said.

In June, Mzembi sent his begging bowl to the corporate sector saying government had little resources due to competing needs such as last month’s general election.

Zimbabwe and Zambia are not looking at immediate benefits from hosting the session but the goodwill attached to the hosting of a successful meeting.

Tourism experts say Zimbabwe could use the event to rebrand the country after last month’s election.

The election has been termed credible by Sadc, African Union, Russia and China among others. The opposition, UK, Australia and United States have questioned the credibility of polls. This has led to revelations by the UK that it won’t be attending the UNWTO General Assembly.

Mzembi said UK was not a member of the UNWTO, notwithstanding that it remained one of Zimbabwe’s key source markets.

He said UK attends the UNWTO meetings through invitations, adding that its non-attendance would not affect tourism inflows into the country “because we are a natural destination with biodiversity which they don’t have”.

UNWTO is made up of 186 countries and 400 affiliate members.