Punta Cana. -Tourism Minister David Collado emphasises that the Dominican Republic’s tourism leadership was underscored once again at the UN Tourism Africa and Americas summit, which began Thursday in the Caribbean nation and will continue through Saturday.
“Dominican Republic’s undisputed standing as a tourism leader is the reason behind hosting, for the first time in history, a summit where two continents discuss tourism—an industry that has become our economies’ backbone,” said Minister Collado during his opening speech.
Collado appreciated the participation of all ministers from the international gathering and expressed his belief that this Africa and Americas summit will be a stepping stone for both continents to collaborate in promoting and developing tourism in the regions.
“We set the ambitious goal of promoting a common tourism agenda right here, where the new world originated. This industry contributes significantly to the welfare of nations,” added Minister Collado, also the UN Tourism’s President for the Americas.
This event is brought to life by UN Tourism, endorsed by the Dominican Republic and carries the theme “Promoting South-South cooperation through Education, Culture, Creative Industries and Innovation investment.”
The summit’s opening ceremony witnessed several leaders speaking, including Collado, Dominican Foreign Minister Roberto Álvarez, Zurab Pololikashvili, UN Tourism Secretary-General, and Louis Steven Obeegadoo, Minister of Tourism and Territorial Planning and Deputy Prime Minister of Housing of the Republic of Mauritius, and the Regional Commission for Africa (TBC) president.
The keynote address—“Bridging continents: Strengthening connections between Africa and the Americas” was delivered by Peter Cerda, IATA Regional Vice President, triggering debates on potential linkages to boost tourism across regions.
The three-day conference, held at the Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort, features elite meetings, presentations, and collaborative sessions from ministers, academics, industry experts, and critical voices from both continents. They will be discussing various tourism-related topics, such as investment opportunities, sustainable practices, innovation, culture, accessible tourism, history, and mutual growth prospects.
The summit work commenced among the attendees, representing core tourism actors from both continents, right after the official opening.
Sessions and Presentations
Post the mid-morning break, the conference kicked off with a keynote presentation by Auxillia Mnangagwa, Tourism Patroness and the first lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe. The High-Level Ministerial Dialogue: “Building Opportunities between Africa and the Americas” followed this.
The objectives of this discussion and the scheduled bilateral meetings encompass the promotion of greater tourism cooperation, cultural exchanges, sustainable practices, connectivity, and opening new vistas for economic and tourism growth across all regions.
The conference’s agenda also includes the adoption of the Punta Cana Declaration and a keynote presentation titled, “Building bridges between continents: fostering links between Africa and the Americas”, delivered by Peter Cerda, IATA Regional Vice President.
UN Tourism’s ambassador and Ethiopian chef, Yohanis Hailemariam is slated to speak on ‘Cooking connections: the power of cuisine in uniting continents’.
Raquel Peña, the Vice President of the Republic, will close the activities and presentations for the forum’s first day. The forum’s theme is “Promoting South-South cooperation through Education, Culture, Creative Industries and Innovation investment”.