Reaching for visitors to travel to Kenya for adventure tourism, even the country’s president Kenyatta of Kenya joined many wishing CS Najib Balala, Kenya’s Minister for Tourism well as he tackles his climb of Mt Kenya.

“I’m ready and all kitted up to climb Mt Kenya in a bid to raise awareness of Kenya’s adventure tourism offering while profiling Mount Kenya as a favorable tourist destination,” said Minister Balala.

Tourism Minister, Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala last Monday embarked on climbing Mount Kenya in his bid to raise awareness of Kenya’s adventure tourism opportunities.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was among the people who wished CS Balala success as he started the challenge.

Wishing Tourism CS Balala success as he starts his ascent of Mount Kenya today to raise awareness of Kenya’s Adventure Tourism offering; while profiling the region as a favourable tourist destination – Uhuru Kenyatta November 13, 2017″

Tourism Minister, CS Balala will be accompanied by the 7 Summits Africa team of mountaineers who are on a quest to climb seven African mountain summits with a combined altitude gain of 16,000 metres, back to back in seven weeks.

Minister Najib Balala of Kenya is also the Head of CAF at the UNWTO. As the Head of the African Bock of Tourism Ministers (CAF) at the UNWTO it is important for the Continent to see the drive by Minister Balala for Adventure Tourism in Africa as part of rewriting the Brand Africa narrative for the continent. Key USPs of the continent can only get the needed visibility through actions such as being undertaken by the Kenyan Minister. Congratulations to you CS Balala, you are an example for the Continent. This climb on Mt Kenya comes but days ahead of the PMAESA Conference in Zambia where those from the continent wanting to see Cruise Tourism developed will gather and this inclusive of land-locked countries promoting their waterways and lakes. Again this is all part and parcel of rewriting the Narrative for Brand Africa with positives and not let others lumber the continent with only negatives and disasters.

The Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Taleb Rifai has visited Madagascar to express the Organization’s full support to the tourism sector. Madagascar’s tourism is facing a challenging situation following a plague outbreak which has prompted some countries to implement travel restrictions with Madagascar. Mr Rifai recalled the World Health Organization (WHO) advises no restriction on travel or trade on Madagascar.  

“UNWTO is echoing the advice by WHO to governments not to rush to issue inaccurate travel advisories. The WHO Key Messages updates dated 26 October recalls that the risk of international spread appears unlikely. WHO advises no restriction on travel or trade on Madagascar based on the current available information” said Mr. Rifai.

“We can not penalise a country twice – once by the country being hit and having to confront and pay the direct heavy price of a devastating crisis and second by us, human community, falling into misguided perceptions and, as a result , shunning and isolating the victim country and adding to the problem rather than to the solution” he added.

WHO recalls that it is important to strike a balance between encouraging countries in the region to be ready to act in case of an outbreak, while avoiding panic that could result in unnecessary or counterproductive measures such as trade restrictions or travel bans on affected countries.

“We are facing a perception crisis. Clear and factual communication on the real situation in Madagascar is crucial to prevent damaging advisories from adding gravity to the crisis” said Rifai.

Meeting with the Minister of Tourism, members of government, the President of the National Assembly, representatives from the United Nations in Madagascar, including the WHO Resident Coordinator, the World Bank, local private sector and media, Mr Rifai recalled that  “positive news are coming out of the sector such as the new strategic partnership between Air Madagascar and Air Austral. We need to communicate the good news; build our capacity and restore confidence”.

The Minister of Tourism Roland Ratsiraka recalled “Being an island with 80% endemic biodiversity, Madagascar has a natural calling for sustainable tourism” said the Minister of Tourism. “Mr. Secretary General, your visit is rich in meaning, gives hope to a whole people and those who still doubt the economic benefits of the tourism industry” he added.

“Collaboration among all countries in crisis situations is critical and we call upon all countries in the region to cooperate in a way that reinforces prevention without creating unnecessary travel bans” said the Najib Balala, Chair of the UNWTO Commission for Africa and Minister of Tourism of Kenya.

UNWTO Secretary-General and the Minister of Tourism of Madagascar will be meeting the press next week at the World Travel Market in London to brief on the current situation in the country.

Ministers of Tourism from 60 countries and leaders from private sector companies and associations will summon next week at the Ministers Summit organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel Market in London to discuss the challenges of sustainable tourism.

The 11th edition of the UNWTO/WTM Ministers’ Summit to be held on 7 November under the title ‘Overtourism: growth is not the enemy; it is how we manage it,’ will address issues such as congestion management, the measurement of the impacts of tourism or the role of the private sector in promoting tourism as an effective tool to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As stated by UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai “Growth is not the enemy. Growing numbers are not the enemy. Growth is the eternal story of mankind. Tourism growth can and should lead to economic prosperity, jobs and resources to fund environmental protection and cultural preservation, as well as community development and progress needs, which would otherwise not be available.”

The Summit will be moderated by CNN International’s Max Foster. Confirmed speakers include:

– H.E. Mr. Mauricio Ventura Aragón, Minister of Tourism, Costa Rica
– H.E. Ms. Elena Kountoura, Minister of Tourism, Greece
– Mr. Ryoichi Matsuyama, President, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)
– H.E. Mr. Enrique de la Madrid, Secretary of Tourism, Mexico
– H.E. Mr. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), United Arab Emirates
– H.E. Mr. John Glen, Minister of Arts Heritage and Tourism, United Kingdom
– Mr. Istvan Ujhelyi, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Transport and Tourism, European Parliament
– Ms. Gloria Guevara, President and CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)
– Mr. Patrick Robinson, Head of Policy for EMEA, Airbnb
– Ms. Inge Huijbrechts, Vice President Responsible Business, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group
– Ms. Kate Gibson, Vice President,Global Corporate Responsibility, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
– Mr. Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Chairman, Silversea Cruises

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, 1 Nov 2017. This year can be described as a tale of two situations for Caribbean tourism. During the first half of this year the region performed at new record pace, welcoming 16.6 million international tourist arrivals at a healthy growth rate of 5.2 per cent, when compared to the same period last year.

However, hurricanes Irma and Maria have dented this growth, with the revised forecast for 2017 now at one to two per cent, down from 2.5 to 3.5 per cent.

The economic impact of the storms is significant. The Caribbean Development Bank predicts that every one per cent reduction in tourist arrivals (based on 2015 travel data) will cost US$137 million in lost revenue.

No doubt, the hurricanes have presented us with some major challenges, but we are determined to rebuild better and more sustainably.
In the meantime, while the affected countries are at various stages on the road back to normality, it is also important to note that over 75 per cent of the region was unscathed by the storms. In this context, we encourage you to keep visiting the Caribbean, as this is the best way to help the region.

During Caribbean Tourism Month we will focus on adventure, in keeping with the Year of Adventure. Mindful of the impact of the storms, there are still countless travel adventures to be had this month and for the remainder of the year.

We look forward to hearing of the various events and activities planned for the month, and with your permission, we will share your information and images.

The month also provides an opportunity to reiterate the message that we are open for business and we do have an exciting product to offer.

Yes, some challenges remain and those are being addressed, but let’s also emphasize the superb experiences we can offer to guests right now and help them and their companions have a Caribbean adventure to remember.

Together, let’s keep the right focus on this important industry and reaffirm the value of One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean.

Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett will host a press briefing in association with the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, where he will provide an update on the conference to members of the media and directors of the MBCC.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Government of Jamaica, World Bank Group and Inter-American Development Bank Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism will take place in our tourism capital, Montego Bay, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre from November 27-29, 2017.

It brings together high-level decision makers in tourism from countries around the world to design an international road map and foster collaborative partnerships for inclusive economic and social development.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 25, 2017: The Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) has announced their endorsement of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) global conference to be held in Jamaica in November.

Adam Goldstein, who is the FCCA’s Executive Committee Chairman and current President and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, gave the endorsement to Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, during a private meeting between Presidents and CEOs of FCCA member lines and Ministers of Tourism, on October 25 in Merida, Mexico.

During the meeting, the group also discussed strategies to drive year-round traffic to the region, the creation of more employment opportunities and the development of strategic partnerships.

Minister Bartlett lauded the endorsement, which, he noted, strengthens the expected impact the conference will have on the development of tourism industries across the globe.

“This event will perhaps be the single most important conference in our country’s history. This endorsement by FCCA strengthens our efforts to coordinate an international road map which will foster collaborative relationships for more inclusive economic and social development of countries across the world via tourism,” said Minister Bartlett.

He also received support for the staging of the conference from Grenada’s Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Yolande Bain-Horsford, who is expected to participate in the conference.

In his capacity as chairman of the newly formed Caribbean Tourism Recovery Group Secretariat (CTRGS) and coordinator of the ‘UNWTO Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean, the Minister used the opportunity to share his intentions to create a tourism rehabilitation plan for Caribbean islands devastated by recent hurricanes at the upcoming conference.

“Caribbean states are very dependent on tourism to sustain their economies. So with the assistance of the UNWTO, CHTA, CTO and WTTC as well as Ministers of the region we are working on creating a strategy to strengthen the sector’s resilience to the effects of climate change and natural disasters, thus making it more sustainable. We will unveil this plan of action during our upcoming UNWTO global conference in Montego Bay in November,” he explained.

The UNWTO, Government of Jamaica, World Bank Group and Inter-American Development Bank Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism’ will be held November 27-29 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, St. James, and is expected to attract hundreds of international and local participants.

The event will bring together world leaders from the tourism industry along with governments, donors, and international development and finance organisations to design and coordinate an international road map and foster collaborative relationships for inclusive economic and social development via tourism.

Minister Bartlett is currently in Mexico with the newly-appointed Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations Ltd, Joy Roberts, participating in the FCCA Cruise Conference and Tradeshow. They are expected to return to the island on October 26, 2017.

Kigali Convention Centre, October 11th, 2017
KIGALI, Rwanda, October 11, 2017/ — Speech of The RT. Hon. Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente at the Official Opening of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum.
• Honourable Ministers,
• Chief Executive Officer, RDB
• Chief Executive Officer of Bench Events,
• Distinguished Guests,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning!

On behalf of the Government of Rwanda, I am pleased to preside over, the official opening of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum that is taking place here at the Kigali Convention Centre.
I wish to thank organisers of this Forum for having chosen Rwanda as a venue. I would like to warmly welcome you all to Rwanda. To all of you, especially those who came from near and far, please feel at home. We value your presence a lot.

The Government of Rwanda would like to reiterate its commitment to ensure that this three-day forum becomes a success.
• Excellencies,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,
The African Hotel industry is one of the fastest growing sectors with an estimated contribution of 8% to Africa’s GDP and is projected to rise at 4.9% per year until 2025. For Africa, to achieve this growth target, there is a need to put in place strategies that support investments in the tourism sector.

Under the leadership of His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of the Republic, Rwanda has made significant progress in the tourism industry. This was mainly achieved through the development of tourism infrastructure, especially through the expansion of RwandAir’s routes; and investments in a number of leading international hotel brands. As a result, more jobs were created, especially for the youth.
• Excellencies,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,
This forum has come at a time when African countries are joining effort with various stakeholders to boost the hospitality sector. For Rwanda, it is being organised subsequent to the commitment by the Government of Rwanda to implement its Seven Year Programme, 2017-2024. In this program, we target to double our tourism revenues to USD 800 million by 2024 from USD 404 million.

I therefore urge all participants to this Forum to share experience on good policies; and advise on how well we can grow the tourism sector in Africa and hotel industry in particular.

In this forum, Rwanda is delighted to showcase some exciting new investment opportunities in the growing tourism sector. Officials from Rwanda Development Board are available to discuss further these opportunities.

As I conclude, I wish to assure all investors that investing in Rwanda is profitable. Rwanda is very secure, economically stable and all our laws are business friendly. Our entire legal framework provides a conducive environment for business. The recent 2017/18 Global Competitiveness report that was released by The World Economic Forum put Rwanda on the second position in Africa.

With these remarks, I want to thank, once again, the organisers and participants of the 2017 Africa Hotel Investment Forum for choosing Rwanda as a host. I wish you fruitful deliberations. It is now with pleasure that I declare the 2017 Africa Hotel Investment Forum officially open.

Thank you for your attention.

The new PATA CEO has been confirmed by the Executive Board of the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

PATA has extended the contract of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mario Hardy for a period of three years commencing January 1, 2018.

PATA Chairperson Sarah Mathews said, “I am delighted that Mario has agreed to continue as our Chief Executive Officer. Under his outstanding leadership, the Association has made considerable progress and I am confident he will continue to lead PATA and support the needs of our members. PATA remains an association dedicated to all its members and will continue to assist them in the ever-evolving landscape of tourism and travel.  Mario and his team are best placed to help drive a continued period of growth.”

Dr Hardy said, “I am delighted to have an opportunity to work with our outstanding management team in building upon the PATA successes of the past three years. We still face many challenges as a membership organisation but our determination to add value to the many benefits of PATA membership is being recognised in the public and private sectors. We shall continue with our primary mission of promoting sustainable and responsibly tourism development throughout the world as we encourage travel to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.”

Mario Hardy joined PATA in 2012 as Chief Operating Officer and was appointed Chief Executive Officer on November 1, 2014. He is a past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PATA Foundation, a non-profit organisation with a focus on the protection of the environment, the conservation of culture and heritage, and support for education.

He worked for 26 years in specialised aviation businesses with a focus upon data analytics and technology, occupying leadership roles in Montreal, Vancouver, London, Beijing and Singapore.

In 2016, he received an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Capilano University for his philanthropic work in Cambodia where he helped develop a school for underprivileged children and for his support in the development of a Community Based Tourism (CBT) project in Vietnam.

In January 2017 Mario Hardy graduated from the Singularity University, Executive Program on the subject of Exponential Technologies.

KINGSTON, Jamaica; October 08, 2017: Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett will travel to Grenada this week where he will meet with key members of the Jamaica-led ‘UNWTO Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean’ to hammer out a recovery action plan for tourism-dependent islands recently ravaged by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Minister’s New Kingston offices on October 06, 2017 Minister Bartlett shared that, “In Grenada we will discuss the best way to assist tourism dependent member states, recently ravaged by natural disasters, at the annual State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC). We will then visit the most severely impacted countries and create a plan of action which we will launch during our upcoming UNWTO global conference in Montego Bay in November.”

At the 22nd Session of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly, held recently in Chengdu, China, Jamaica was appointed to coordinate the newly formed ‘UNWTO Disaster Recovery Working Group for the Affected States in the Caribbean’. The working group is a tourism response mechanism for member states that have been recently impacted by powerful natural disasters such as hurricanes, tropical storms and earthquakes.
Minister Bartlett further shared that because islands in the region are so dependent on tourism to sustain their economies, it was important for strategies to be developed to strengthen the sector’s resilience to the effects of climate change and natural disaster, thus making it more sustainable.

“The tourism industry remains the most vital source of earnings and economic activity for most Caribbean islands, with region-wide tourism revenues estimated at over US$27 billion in 2016. The sector also expanded by an unprecedented 4.2% in 2016 as the region welcomed a historic 29 million visitors; over 1 million more visitors than in 2015. It therefore goes without saying that when our tourism sector suffers a setback, the Caribbean suffers a setback in a huge way,” the Tourism Minister noted.

During SOTIC, Minister Bartlett will also attend Caribbean Tourism Organization’s business meetings, including the CTO Council of Tourism Ministers and Commissioners on October 10, 2017. Additionally, he is expected to attend a special session on October 12 entitled “Recover and Rebuild – The future of Caribbean Tourism”, which will focus on the economic cost of disasters, including the potential impact on gross domestic product, employment, the cost to rebuild and the recovery time.

During the briefing, he also announced that he will be seeking relief financing for affected states in the region, during the Annual General Meeting of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund, slated to take place on October 13, 2017 in Washington, D.C., USA.

While in Washington, he will also participate in the World Bank Group’s high-level ministerial closed-door simulation exercise on pandemics and tourism: “Travel, Tourism and Outbreaks – A Pandemic Simulation” The exercise will help participants to better understand the disruptive effects of pandemics on tourism and explore ways to minimize unnecessary impacts.

Minister Bartlett will be accompanied by Dr. Andrew Spencer, Executive Director of the Tourism Product Development Company and his senior advisor Dr. Lloyd Waller. They are expected to return to the island on October 14.

Jamaica continues to extend our thoughts and prayers to our Caribbean brothers and sisters, especially residents in those islands that took a direct hit from the recent hurricanes and to everyone who has been or will be affected as a result of these catastrophic storms.

We recognize that the entire Caribbean region will be adversely impacted by the lasting results of Hurricanes Irma and Maria and have set a course of action that is designed to minimize the long-term effect on the region.

We acknowledge, with thanks, receipt from the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), in conjunction with the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), the periodic status reports issued in cooperation with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and applaud the efforts at assisting the region and ensuring that timely and accurate information is disseminated.

We are aware that CTO and CDEMA technical teams have been on the ground in the various islands doing rapid needs assessments and coordinating with the national authorities in managing the various interventions, to mitigate the pain and hardships that are so pervasive at this time.

As a direct result of these unprecedented hurricanes, a meeting was convened by the World Tourism Organization – the United Nations specialised agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism (UNWTO) – at the General Assembly in Chengdu, China on 13 September, 2017. There were some 10 countries from the Caribbean and Latin America represented at the meeting – Bahamas, Barbados, Colombia, Costa, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela – in addition to representatives from the USA, France, Spain, the Netherlands, the UNWTO and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Trinidad and Tobago, a Caribbean member of the UNWTO, was absent from the general assembly.

The outcome of that meeting was a decision to assist in the Caribbean natural disaster risk management and response initiatives and to include in the programme for the UNWTO, Government of Jamaica and World Bank Group Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism in Montego Bay, Jamaica from 27-29 November, an opportunity for all interested parties to discuss and implement a plan of action.

As a proud host of this important global summit, Jamaica is honoured that the UNWTO has asked that I coordinate its involvement in this recovery effort for the region. The first step therefore was to reach out to the regional tourism organizations – CTO, CHTA and CDEMA – to brainstorm opportunities for collaboration.