By CARISTO CHITAMFYA –

in Medellin, Colombia
ZAMBIA’S hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly in 2013 has raised the profile of Zambia’s tourism sector, Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata has said.
Ms Kapata said tourism is currently a key lever of economic diversification and deeper regional integration.
She said this when she addressed delegates at the official opening of the 21st session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Medellin, Colombia on Monday this week.
She said that the Uniform Visa (UNIVISA) pilot project, initiated by Zambia and Zimbabwe soon after the 2013 General Assembly, had generated increased tourist arrivals to the Victoria Falls and enhanced bilateral cooperation between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Ms Kapata, however, noted that many tourist destinations around the world continued to face numerous challenges related to Visa facilitation, air connectivity, security threats caused by instability and terrorism, disease outbreaks such as Ebola, while massive taxation of the tourism sector, in some countries, continued to affect destination-competitiveness.
She called upon all UNWTO member countries to rise to the challenge and create a conducive environment that would facilitate steady growth of the tourism sector.
Ms Kapata also called for effective participation by member countries attending the Medellin General Assembly as their respective nations were expecting tangible results from the deliberations.
She said if well harnessed, tourism had the potential to contribute significantly to economic growth, community development and job creation in addition to consolidating partnerships among Governments, private sector and civil society.
Ms Kapata thanked the Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and the people of Colombia for the warm welcome and the genuine hospitality of the country’s people.
She said Zambia was particularly delighted because Colombia’s bid to host the 2015 General Assembly was won on Zambian soil.
This was the second time that Colombia was hosting the tourism Indaba, having hosted it earlier in 2007 in the city of Cartagena.
Zambia was at the weekend elected to the executive council of the UNWTO amid waves of joy and jubilation among the Zambian delegates as this paved way for the country to have direct representation at the world body and add its voice to the policy direction of the tourism industry.
The 21st edition of the UNWTO General Assembly runs from 12 to 17th September in Medellin.