UNWTO has celebrated the second edition of the Global Tourism Investment Forum. Joining Ministers of Tourism for the event in Cabo Verde were business leaders, entrepreneurs and investors, with a special focus on innovation and sustainable recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the crisis causing levels of Foreign Direct Investment in tourism to plummet 73%, the Forum provided a platform for diverse stakeholders to support and promote investments in the sector. Panel discussions, led by leading experts from across the tourism and finance sectors, focused on “innovation and investment”. Alongside providing an analysis of the investment climate in African tourism, including in the case of Cabo Verde, the discussions also addressed potential measures for promoting sustainable investments, digitalization and innovations, the future of mobility and sustainable transport, as well as using targeted investments to drive economic recovery, job creation and resilience post COVID-19.

Unlocking tourism’s potential

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “Well targeted investments can stimulate entrepreneurship, create jobs and drive the green transformation of our tourism, in Africa and worldwide. UNWTO is committed to promoting and building investments in tourism to unlock the sector’s potential to drive recovery and provide opportunity for all.”

The event was opened by José Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva, Primer Minister Cabo Verde, and featured the participation of Tourism Ministers from across Africa as well as from Spain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as of investment bodies, multilateral funds, African regional economic communities, and from the private sector, including travel tech startups. Highlighting the international nature of the Forum, more than ten investors came from Europe to Cabo Verde to explore investment opportunities focused on innovation and infrastructure. They were joined by investors from South Africa, and the USA, with all participants benefitting from unique networking opportunities on the tourism island of Sal. Investors included RIU Group, Plug & Play, Aguaduna, CMC XXI, QEV Tech Electromobility Holdings, TUI Care Foundation, ALESA Group, Grupo Piñero and Fundacion Metropoli.

Capacity building and branding

Alongside the presentations and panel discussions, the Forum also featured capacity building workshops focused on investments and innovation, alongside an overview of UNWTO’s Brand Africa initiative aimed at helping destinations across the continent harness the power of digital marketing to reach new audiences and attract visitors.

The Little Africa Maio Project was also presented as an effective example of directed foreign investment in tourism with the potential to deliver a wide range of economic, social and ecological benefits.

About UN Tourism

The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

As the leading international organization in the field of tourism, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Our Priorities

Mainstreaming tourism in the global agenda: Advocating the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, its inclusion as a priority in national and international policies and the need to create a level playing field for the sector to develop and prosper.

Promoting sustainable tourism development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies which make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities and provide socio-economic benefits for all.

Fostering knowledge, education and capacity building: Supporting countries to assess and address their needs in education and training, as well as providing networks for knowledge creation and exchange.

Improving tourism competitiveness: Improving UN Tourism Members' competitiveness through knowledge creation and exchange, human resources development and the promotion of excellence in areas such as policy planning, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development and risk and crisis management.

Advancing tourism's contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximizing the contribution of tourism to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by making tourism work as a tool for development and promoting the inclusion of tourism in the development agenda.

Building partnerships: Engaging with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academia and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.

Our Structure

Members: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members, 2 Observers and over 500 Affiliate Members.

Organs: The General Assembly is the supreme organ of the Organization. The Executive Council take all measures, in consultation with the Secretary-General, for the implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and reports to the Assembly.

Secretariat: UN Tourism headquarters are based in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is led by the Secretary-General and organized into departments covering issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics and the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), destination management, ethics and risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Department carries out development projects in over 100 countries worldwide, while the Regional Departments for Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Middle East serve as the link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Affiliate Members Department represents UN Tourism's 500 plus Affiliate members.

UN Tourism Communications Department
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UN Tourism

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