UNWTO to help Africa get back on track
17 April 2008The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) is set to pledge its support to the African tourism industry this year with an official visit to countries that have experienced problems recently.
According to the latest world tourism barometer from the UNWTO, African nations saw an increase of 44 million visitors in 2007 compared to the previous year.
This eight per cent growth is above the world average, but recent problems in countries such as Kenya, Mauritania and Cote d'Ivoire have threatened to derail their tourism industries.
UNWTO secretary general Francesco Frangialli will embark on a tour of these three countries on April 20th to show the organisation's support of their tourism industries.
"These [world tourism barometer] figures prove that tourism has the potential to foster sustainable development and Africa as a whole is among the top growing regions," Mr Frangialli said.
"But many countries who have experienced less favourable developments in the recent past have now the opportunity to regain tourism strength."
Kenya is historically one of Africa's strongest nations in tourism terms, but violent clashes following a disputed presidential election in December 2007 damaged the country's image as a safe and welcoming destination for travellers.
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