In a significant boost to Tanzania’s tourism industry profile, the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO) has been nominated to represent the global affiliate members board at the 67th Meeting of the UN Tourism Regional Commission for Africa, in Livingstone, Zambia.
In an official email, UN Tourism officials, including Ion Vilcu and Mar de Miguel, confirmed TATO’s nomination.
With only 22 of the 500 global UN-Tourism affiliate members hailing from Africa, TATO’s recognition represents a major boost for Tanzania’s tourism industry.
This nomination symbolizes new investment opportunities, aligning with Tanzania’s President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan’s ongoing efforts to elevate its tourism industry and contribute to a prosperous, interconnected, and sustainable tourism landscape across Africa.
TATO Chairman, Mr. Chambulo, led a distinguished delegation of tourism industry leaders to the UN Tourism Summit in Zambia.
Their mission was to underscore the vital importance of collaboration in unlocking Africa’s investment and growth potential, while also amplifying the voice of Brand Africa.
Under the theme “Promoting Africa to Unlock Tourism Investments and the Industry Growth Potential,” the second edition of the UN Tourism Regional Conference on Brand Africa emphasized the necessity for collaboration and innovation across the continent.
In 2023, TATO became an affiliate member of the UNWTO during the 25th UN Tourism General Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, to strengthen its role in global tourism by fostering alliances between the private and public sectors.
In his keynote address at the 67th UN Tourism Regional Commission for Africa conference, Mr. Chambulo extended a warm invitation to Member States to encourage their tourism private sectors to join the UN Tourism affiliate members’ family.
Expanding the membership of African tourism entities in the UN-Tourism network, Mr. Chambulo noted, would significantly enrich the network while integrating and connecting tourism actors with entities from other countries to foster the internationalization and dynamism of their national tourism industries.
The Board of Affiliate Members supports the UN Tourism’s objective to attract new members, particularly from countries that are significant tourism markets or destinations but currently have no affiliate members, such as Algeria, Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and Tunisia.
The Programme of Work of the Affiliate Members and Public-Private Collaboration Department included several key activities, notably the 2nd World Sports Tourism Congress held in Croatia last year.
“Sports Tourism plays a very important role in our Programme of Work,” Mr. Chambulo stated proudly, “and I am pleased to announce that the 3rd edition of the World Sports Tourism Congress will take place in November 2024 in Madrid, in collaboration with the government of the Madrid Region.”
Mr. Chambulo further emphasized the importance of increasing affiliate members’ participation in key UN Tourism statutory meetings, such as this regional commission.
“In conclusion,” he said, “I encourage all members of the Commission to leverage the affiliate members’ network in your efforts to make the tourism industry in your countries more diverse, sustainable, and competitive.”
