David Collado, the Tourism Minister, hailed the three-day tourism summit in Africa and the Americas as a triumph, with over 30 participating countries from the two continents.
The Dominican Republic’s Tourism Minister said a consensus on mutual points and tourism promotion challenges between the continents was achieved at the summit.
“The debates were quite productive and will affect our tourism in the short, medium, and long run. This summit between Africa and the Americas couldn’t have been more successful,” Collado stated.
He confirmed the Punta Cana declaration as a solid commitment made between African and American countries, aimed at collectively fostering a SOUTH-SOUTH development agenda.
In addition, Collado said the summit participating countries pledged to establish a joint investment schedule centered on achieving sustainable development goals that positively influence tourism.
“This creates a precedence as it will foster an unprecedented collaboration allowing tourism to be a uniting tool for our people. We aim to develop cultural, culinary, and ecological tourism agendas where our diversity and commonalities are pivotal in fostering our people’s development through tourism,” the Dominican minister mentioned in his conversation with journalists at the close of Friday’s work session.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili termed the summit as a significant meeting involving various sector stakeholders, which will aid in fostering a mutual agenda between the continents.
His understanding is that the promotion of investments is one of the priorities since “the development of tourism is impossible without it.”
Pololikashvili voiced gratitude towards Dominicans for their hospitality during the summit and lauded the commendable efforts and leadership of Minister David Collado at an international level.
The summit, spearheaded by the Dominican Republic and organized by the UN Tourism, saw a participation of representatives from 30 countries across Africa and the Americas for three days.
Sustainability Agreement
This inaugural UN-Tourism Summit also marked the signing of an agreement that sets off a project to create a sustainable tourism policy and strategy for the nation.
The agreement, signatories of which included Tourism Minister David Collado and UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, was signed in the presence of Asonahores‘s president David Llibre and Anabel Bueno, the Dominican Republic’s ambassador to the UN Tourism.
The agreement aims to foster the creation of a sustainable tourism policy and strategy aligned with the UN’s sustainable development goals.
It comprises a holistic approach featuring capacity strengthening, key actor collaboration, and innovation for developing sustainable tourism across the entire value chain.