With tourism in Africa experiencing significant growth, there is now an urgent need to develop a wide range of skilled professionals with the skills required for modern tourism. Reflecting this demand, UN Tourism has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Zambia Ministry of Tourism to establish the ZITHS Mukuni International Tourism and Hospitality Academy in collaboration with UN Tourism. The Academy offers a range of courses, all focused on equipping both students new to the tourism industry and existing tourism workers with the skills they need to find work or advance in their careers.
Laying the cornerstone in Livingstone, Secretary-General Pololikashvili said: “Africa’s tourism sector is growing and diversifying at an incredible rate. These new academies, in partnership with UN Tourism, will train tomorrow’s tourism workforce in a range of specialisms, providing the talent needed for Africa’s tourism industry to thrive.”
Zambia’s Minister of Tourism, Rodney M. Sikumba, who signed the agreement with the Secretary-General, said, “The adoption of the UN Tourism Education Guidelines has allowed Zambia to redefine the role of education in tourism development. The establishment of the Academy will mark a sea change in how we fill the glaring skills gaps for current and future employees in Zambia’s tourism sector.”
Plans to establish a culinary arts academy in Zimbabwe
The UN Tourism Organization has also agreed to partner with the UN Tourism Department to establish the Africa International Tourism Culinary Arts Academy. The centre of expertise will be located in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and will focus on developing skilled professionals in culinary arts in the country and across Africa. The announcement coincides with the launch of the first UN Tourism Africa Gastronomic Tourism Forum, an event showcasing the diverse cuisines of the African region and bringing together key players from the public and private sectors.
We are pleased to be working closely with UN Tourism to develop gastronomy tourism in the country and the region. The new Academy in partnership with UN Tourism demonstrates our shared commitment to building the capacity of tourism workers in the field of culinary arts and putting Zimbabwe firmly on the global gastronomy map. Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Barbara Lwozi
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About United Nations Tourism
The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations agency responsible for promoting responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism for all.
As the leading international organisation in the tourism sector, UN Tourism promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability, and provides leadership and support to the tourism sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies globally.
Our Priorities
Mainstream tourism into the global agenda: Advocate for the value of tourism as a driver of socio-economic growth and development, and for the inclusion of tourism as a priority in national and international policies, and the need to create a level playing field for the tourism sector to develop and thrive.
Promoting Sustainable Tourism Development: Supporting sustainable tourism policies and practices: policies that make optimal use of environmental resources, respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, and deliver socio-economic benefits for all.
Promoting knowledge, education and capacity development: We help countries assess and address their education and training needs, and provide networks for knowledge creation and exchange.
Improving tourism competitiveness: Improve the competitiveness of UN Tourism Member States through promoting excellence in areas such as knowledge creation and exchange, human resource development, policy formulation, statistics and market trends, sustainable tourism development, marketing and promotion, product development, and risk and crisis management.
Promoting tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and development: Maximize tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and achieving the SDGs by leveraging tourism as a tool for development and promoting its inclusion in the development agenda.
Building partnerships: Working with the private sector, regional and local tourism organizations, academic and research institutions, civil society and the UN system to build a more sustainable, responsible and competitive tourism sector.
Our Organization
Membership: An intergovernmental organization, UN Tourism has 160 member states, six associate members, two observers, and over 500 affiliated members.
Organs: The General Assembly is the highest organ of the United Nations. The Executive Council, in consultation with the Secretary-General, takes all steps to implement the decisions and recommendations of the General Assembly and its reports to it.
Secretariat: The UN Tourism Headquarters is located in Madrid, Spain. The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General and is divided into divisions dealing with issues such as sustainability, education, tourism trends and marketing, sustainable development, statistics, Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSA), destination management, ethics, risk and crisis management. The Technical Cooperation and Silk Road Division implements development projects in over 100 countries around the world, while the Regional Divisions for Africa, America, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Middle East act as a link between UN Tourism and its 160 Member States. The Member States Division represents UN Tourism’s more than 500 member states.
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