David Collado, the Minister of Tourism, has confidently asserted the prominence of Dominican tourism. This revitalized leadership was spotlighted during the UN Tourism Africa and the Americas summit, commencing on Thursday in the Caribbean and ending on Saturday.
“The tourism sector has become an integral part of our economies, firmly placing the Dominican Republic at the pinnacle of global tourism discussions. This marks the first instance of two continents merging to discuss tourism,” the Dominican minister stated in his opening speech at the summit.
The Minister expressed gratitude to all ministers present for the international summit and was confident in his belief that the convergence of Africa and the Americas would set a precedent for collaborative development and promotion in the field of tourism.
“Today, we initiate a grand project to synergize our tourism agendas. Our goal is to use this industry as a tool for national welfare,” pronounced Minister Collado, the President of UN Tourism for the Americas.
The event was organized by UN Tourism under the initiative of the Dominican Republic. “Promoting South-South cooperation through investment in Education, Culture, Creative Industries, and Innovation.” is their chosen motto for this event.
Accompanying Minister Collado at the event were Roberto Álvarez, the Dominican Foreign Minister, and Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of UN Tourism. They gave speeches at the event’s inauguration.
The three-day itinerary includes meetings, presentations, and sessions with ministers, experts, academics, and industry representatives from both regions at the Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort hotel. They center their discussions around mutual growth opportunities, cultural, historical and sustainable practices, accessibility in tourism, and the numerous investment opportunities present in both continents.
After the official inauguration, collaborative discussions among all the players of both continents’ tourism sectors ensued at the summit.
Details of Presentations and Sessions
The event kicked off after mid-morning with a spotlight presentation by Auxillia Mnangagwa, the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the patroness of Tourism. Afterwards, the High-level Ministerial Dialogue took place, bearing the theme “Building Opportunities between Africa and the Americas”. The dialogue and subsequent bilateral meetings are designed to enhance the area of cultural exchanges, sustainable practices, new horizons for economic and tourism growth, and heightened interconnectivity between both territories.
Other activities detailed in the programme include the adoption of the Punta Cana Declaration and the keynote address titled “Building bridges between continents: Promoting links between Africa and the Americas”, delivered by Peter Cerda, Regional Vice President of IATA. Ethiopian chef and UN Tourism Ambassador, Yohanis Hailemariam will speak on ‘Cooking connections: The Power of Gastronomy to Unite Continents’.
The vice president of the Republic, Raquel Peña, is scheduled to deliver a speech to close out the first day’s events and activities this afternoon. The central theme of this forum is: “Promoting South-South cooperation through investments in Education, Culture, Creative Industries, and Innovation.”