Punta Cana.-The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, affirmed that the leadership of Dominican tourism is once again evidenced with the UN Tourism Africa and the Americas summit, which began this Thursday in the Caribbean country and will last until Saturday.
“The leadership of the Dominican Republic in the tourism world is indisputable, that is why we are here, for the first time in history, two continents discussing tourism, the sector that has become the support of our economies,” the Dominican minister said. give a speech at the opening of the summit.
Collado thanked the presence of all the ministers participating in the international conclave and said he was convinced that this summit of Africa and the Americas is the starting point for the continents to go hand in hand in the promotion and development of tourism.
“Here, where the new world is born, the great project of promoting a common tourism agenda also begins, an industry that brings well-being to nations,” said Minister Collado, who is also the president of UN Tourism for the Americas.
The event, organized by UN Tourism at the initiative of the Dominican Republic and has the motto “Promoting South-South cooperation through investment in Education, Culture, Creative Industries and Innovation.”
In addition to Collado, the Dominican Foreign Minister, Roberto Álvarez, Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary General of UN Tourism and Louis Steven Obeegadoo, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Territorial Planning and Minister of Tourism of the Republic spoke at the opening ceremony. of Mauritius and president of the Regional Commission for Africa (TBC)
During the three days of activities, which take place at the Paradisus Palma Real Golf & Spa Resort hotel, high-level meetings, presentations and sessions are held, in which ministers, academics, experts and industry actors from both regions They discuss the challenges, investment opportunities, sustainable practices, accessible tourism, innovation, culture, history and opportunities for mutual growth between both continents.
After the official opening ceremony, the summit’s work began among the participants, where the main actors in the tourism sector of each continent are located.
Presentations and Sessions
The activities began mid-morning with a keynote presentation by Auxillia Mnangagwa, Patroness of Tourism and First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
This was followed by the High Level Ministerial Dialogue: “Building Opportunities between Africa and the Americas”.
Both this debate and the scheduled bilateral meetings aim to achieve greater tourism cooperation, promote cultural exchanges, sustainable practices, connections, and open new horizons for economic and tourism growth between both regions.
The program also included the adoption of the Punta Cana Declaration and the keynote presentation “Building bridges between continents: promoting links between Africa and the Americas”, given by Peter Cerda, Regional Vice President of IATA.
UN Tourism ambassador and Ethiopian chef, Yohanis Hailemariam will speak on ”Cooking connections: the power of gastronomy to unite continents”.
Already in the afternoon hours of this Thursday, the Vice President of the Republic, Raquel Peña, will give a speech to close the activities and presentations of this first day of the forum, whose motto is: “Promoting South-South cooperation through investment Education, Culture, Creative Industries and Innovation.
