Zimbabwe co-hosted the 20th edition of the UNWTO general assembly with Zambia in August with the event taking place in the twin towns of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone across the Zambezi River in Zambia.
The general assembly was declared the best attended in the history of the organization with a record 900 delegates from the media fraternity, 121 full delegates from member states, 140 delegates from all over the world, 49 foreign ministers and 750 other delegates.
Kaseke told New Ziana in Harare on Thursday that the benefits of hosting the conference were incalculable. “On average it takes between one and two years to see the positive benefits of hosting such a big event, but the biggest benefit, however, is the endorsement of Zimbabwe as a safe destination,” he said.
“We expect to see the fruits of this endorsement maybe in 2015 where we anticipate receiving around three million tourists in international arrivals translated to 1.5 billion USD in terms of tourism receipts.”
Kaseke said the endorsement had been the best Zimbabwe had ever had where the UNWTO had endorsed tourism. He said the UNWTO general assembly had not left the tourism sector in the country dead but livened it up instead.
“When we were bidding we looked at the costs versus the benefits- not financial. Zimbabwe has now been baptized by the UNWTO as a safe destination meaning that any conference of any sort can be held here.”
It was the first time that the UNWTO general assembly was held in southern Africa and the second time on the African continent after Senegal hosted it in 2007. The event was a milestone for the global tourism body and its delegations of attending member states.
The Zambian tourism capital, Livingstone, was in the spotlight together with Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, as they showcased their renowned status as hosts of the mighty Victoria Falls, a world heritage site.
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