Victoria Falls comes alive this week with 23rd United Nations Tourism Summit that started Monday and set to run until weekend.
Newly appointed Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Shaikha Al Nowais landed in the tourism City on Sunday where she was received by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi for a series of high-level engagements that will seek to redefine tourism into a sustainable and inclusive sector.
A majority of delegates have arrived and yesterday some attended the Meeting of the Committee on Tourism and Sustainability where discussions touched on progress in the preparation of the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism 2027 as well as the elements of the emerging roadmap guiding the process.
Other areas of focus are regenerative tourism, highlighting key concepts, emerging practices and their potential relevance for sustainable and resilient tourism development.
Victoria Falls is Zimbabwe’s tourism capital and a world destination of choice for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (Mice) tourism which Government is pursuing.
The magnificent City is uniquely positioned at the crossroads of regional and international travel, and continues to earn global recognition, including prestigious accolades such as being named among the world’s top destinations by Forbes Magazine last year.
This is the second time the City is hosting a high-level UN Tourism event, following the UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Forum in 2024, the inaugural such event which was a milestone that underscored the growing influence in shaping global tourism dialogue.
First Lady Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa is expected to officiate the summit on 29 April when women in tourism will gather for the Second African Conference on Empowering Women in Tourism Businesses.
The United Nations General Assembly declared the Year of Resilience and Sustainable Tourism and the whole of 2027 will be about resilience and sustainable tourism.
City of Victoria Falls aligns itself with sustainable tourism and conservation, riding on local policies and development control measures which government human developments in the City.
The City was named a Wetland City last year because of efforts done in preserving the environment.
