Cote d’Ivoire has been picked to host the first “Investing in Tourism in Africa” global forum which will bring together over 3,000 participants next year.
The decision was taken last week at the 23rd General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) held in St. Petersburg, Russia, the Ivorian Ministry of Tourism and Recreation said in a statement to APA on Tuesday.
“This event, which will bring together investors, donors and support funds, will enable them to discover our country’s diversity,” the Ivorian Minister of Tourism and Recreation, Siandou Fofana said, hailing the international community’s trust in his country’s tourist and recreation industry.
This forum, he said, “will allow this important sector to seize opportunities, sell its products and take advantage of the massive presence of so many private and multilateral investors, donors, investment funds, banks, etc …”
For a week, Cote d’Ivoire will become the world capital for the tourism economy with global players and the international press, Mr. Fofana concluded.
Until then, the only forum of its kind called Investour is held every year in Madrid, Spain, home to the UNWTO headquarters, on the sidelines of Fitur, one of the largest world fairs dedicated to tourism.
Tourism posted 10.5 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018, suggesting that the industry is a key pillar of the world economy.
LS/fss/as/APA