Africa pushes for United Nations tourism post

The 22nd United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly to be held in China next year is expected to present a defining moment for African tourism.

For the first time in the 42-year history of the United Nations (UN) agency, Africa is putting forward a candidate for the post of secretary general and many are convinced it is now the continent’s turn.

Previous leaders of the important tourism body have come from Europe, the Americas and the Middle East.

But the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, the capital of Sichan province in Southwest China, in September next year is expected to give Africa a chance.

Africa views the post so seriously that it had to take the African Union Heads of States and Governments to endorse the candidature of Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Walter Mzembi.

Walter Mzembi

The endorsement came at the continental body’s 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government held in Rwanda last month.

Many are now optimistic that Mzembi will defy all the odds as Africa’s sole candidate and win the contest for one of the top UN jobs.

The endorsement set Mzembi on a campaign trail expected to last almost a year and includes lobbying other countries outside the continent.

The process will culminate in the election of the secretary general when the UNWTO General Assembly meets in Chengdu.

Many Africans think this UNWTO General Assembly will be so important it can leave the continent firmly in control of the world tourism affairs.

And there are many advantages accruing from the continent winning this contest.

There is hope that with an African as the UNWTO secretary general, focus will be re-directed towards the potential that tourism has to lift many countries out of poverty.

In its low state, tourism is already playing a pivotal role in helping turn around the status of many African countries by significantly contributing to the fiscus.

But many believe the status of tourism in Africa can improve pretty fast if an African is at the apex of the world tourism body.

That world tourism has to take a new direction is in no doubt, considering the potential that this trillion-dollar industry holds.

And China has already taken the first steps towards turning around global tourism after it held the successful First World Conference on Tourism and Development in Beijing in May this year.

The theme of that conference – “Tourism for Peace and Development” – said it all in terms of the expectations that this vast industry can contribute to make the world a better place.

For Africa, peace, poverty alleviation and development are the major prerequisite for future stability.

It is a fact that many African countries lag far behind in development, while some have not known peace for many decades due to internal struggles.

An African candidate is expected to use tourism as a tool of public diplomacy to mitigate against terrorism, wars and under-development.

Although Mzembi is likely to face candidates from other continents like Europe and the Americas, he is confident of triumphing.

“There is a very positive acceptance of my statecraft and bureaucratic competence for this post,” he said in a widely published interview recently.

“Remember, this is an elective international civil servant position which requires competent skills. I have been around long enough to know where to take the organisation (UNWTO) in fulfilling members’ aspirations and expectations.

“The pedigree of my candidature goes beyond just advocacy, marketing and promotion of global tourism to international deal broking and statesmanship, which are all hallmarks needed to confront contemporary challenges.”

Global tourism is now big business, generating $1.5 trillion, contributing six percent in exports and employing around 288 million people from nearly 1.2 billion arrivals.

The latest global tourism barometer shows that Africa accounts for only three to five percent of the market and is the only region that registered a decline in arrivals performance at minus three percent in the last few years.

The Middle East claims almost the same market share, while Europe accounts for more than 50 percent and the Americas, Asia and Pacific regions have almost an equal share of the remainder.

Mzembi wishes to ensure that there is universal State membership of the UNWTO and also speaks of working on advancing the vision of open borders, open skies and visa liberalisation.

He says it is time that tourism’s “natural patent to soft power” is deployed in public and people-to-people diplomacy to help fight scourges like terrorism.

“It is not hard power alone that will defeat terrorism,” he said in an interview. “It is complimentary action from soft power that will ultimately win because terrorism is conceived and transported in the mind.

"We must never allow a situation where after traditional diplomacy fails it precipitates war before we invoke the inherent diplomatic characteristics of tourism."

“When people arrive in destinations, they are agents of goodwill. Usually they bring an olive branch, so today’s 1.2 billion global arrivals can easily be turned into peace ambassadors of this world.”

UNWTO, created in 1974, is one of the specialised agencies of the United Nations.

Mzembi seeks to replace secretary general Taleb Rifai of Jordan when he retires at the Chengdu meeting.

China is already preparing for the big event.

Speaking after winning the bid to host the UNWTO General Assembly last year, China National Tourism Administration chairman Li Jinzao said the country was ready to play its part in global tourism.

“China will make thorough preparations for it and will endavour to make the UNWTO General Assembly into a platform where tourism departments from across the world can conduct candid and in-depth communication and focus on cooperation,” he told Xinhua News Agency then.

“China’s bid for the 22nd Session manifests its aspiration to work together with other countries to hammer out big plans and share fruits of development by utilising the platform offered by the session. Actually, China has accumulated rich experience in hosting large international conferences. We have all the confidence to make the session a success.”

In endorsing Mzembi as its candidate for the UNWTO secretary general post, the African leaders considered his wealth of experience and knowledge in the tourism sector.

His brief resume as outlined in a recent issue of the New African magazine shows that he has been a Member of Parliament in Zimbabwe since 2004.

Mzembi was appointed head of the Zimbabwean delegation to the African Caribbean and Pacific and European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly from 2004 to 2007.

He was a member of the UNWTO Executive Council from 2009 to 2013, has been the chairperson of the UNWTO Commission for Africa since 2013 and is a three-time president of Africa Travel Association.

Mzembi is also the chairperson of the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa and a recipient of many awards and accolades in various sectors and mostly in the tourism sector.

The co-hosting by Zimbabwe and Zambia of the UNWTO 20th General Assembly in 2013 was largely attributed to Mzembi’s efforts after he tirelessly pushed the bid.

(Lovemore Chikova is the News Editor of The Herald Newspaper in Zimbabwe, a fellow at the China-Africa Press Centre and an intern at People’s Daily Online. He can be contacted on [email protected])