Namibia will in July this year host the African Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit as a way of encouraging young people to become active participants in the tourism sector.
This was said by President Hage Geingob while he delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament on Wednesday.
Africa Tourism Partners in collaboration with the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), BDO and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism of Namibia will host the event in Windhoek from 27 to 29 July 2022.
The summit aims to empower youth at all levels by providing partnerships, market access, mentorship and funding solutions from the global marketplace.
It will serve as a platform for SMEs, youth and start-ups in tourism, travel, hospitality, aviation, academia and all related industries to connect, engage, learn, innovate and grow.
Geingob said the hospitality and tourism sector was one of the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result, the government implemented a revival initiative in June 2020.
“Our key developmental focus has been to break the cycle of poverty, inequalities and high unemployment. But unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a reversal in our fight against these structural impediments,” he said.
He added that tourism is a sector that directly employs many young people and procures from small businesses.
“Tourist arrivals increased by 37 per cent in 2021, compared to a decline of 89.3 per cent in 2020. The upward trend in tourist arrivals is encouraging,” said Geingob.
He further stated that the unequal distribution of wealth is one of the most widely discussed issues and the methodology developed by international financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which was adopted by the United Nations, divides Namibia’s Gross Domestic Product by its small population, and therefore arrives at a high per capita income.
“Countries such as Namibia and others are misclassified as upper-middle-income countries. These classifications are insensitive to the distortions created by unequal distribution of resources and also reduce our ability to access affordable debt financing and grants,” he said.
The president noted that for Namibia to attain recovery and growth, it will have to maintain “healthy minds, in healthy bodies” because, without the guarantee of health, even the greatest of minds can be laid to waste.
The 2021 edition of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation Summit Challenge was held in Ghana and attracted over 200 physical delegates and more than 1 600 online participants from across the globe.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
