Youth summit expected to reactivate tourism
Fourth edition set to be held in Nam
"This summit is ideal to restore confidence and reactivate the tourism sector in order to rebuild a more resilient tourism economy in future," Erongo governor Neville Andre said.
The fourth edition of the Africa Youth in Tourism Innovation summit challenge is anticipated to help reposition Namibia as a business and tourism destination.
Set to take place from 27 and 29 July, the summit will present an updated post Covid-19 tourism recovery strategy for 2022 to 2024.
This according to Erongo governor Neville Andre, who said government - through the tourism ministry - won a bid to host the summit for a period of three years in collaboration with Africa Tourism Partners and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
The event will also be hosted in close collaboration with the youth and education ministries as well as the Namibia Tourism Board.
Andre said Namibia experienced an increase in tourist arrivals from 1992 to 2019; however, since the outbreak of Covid-19 tourist arrivals declined by a massive 89.4%.
“This summit is ideal to restore confidence and reactivate the tourism sector in order to rebuild a more resilient tourism economy in future,” he said.
According to him, the event is an exclusive platform provided to innovative African youth in the sector seeking funding, partnership and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace to find the required support.
“It is also a platform to invite innovative ideas and solutions that go beyond technology but are related to the travel and tourism industry for review and adjudication by a pre-eminent panel of industry leaders,” Andre said.
Shortlisted candidates will be introduced to industry leaders for mentorship and potential funders.
Supporting small businesses
The summit is aimed at supporting and guiding small, medium and micro enterprises in navigating post Covid-19 challenges and opportunities, amongst other things, the governor said.
It also aims to provide career guidance for high school and university graduates interested in travel and tourism as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and events eco-system careers, encouraging a robust innovation culture in tourism based on skills development for business growth.
Additionally, he said, the event is expected to create greater awareness on the importance of tourism and how the sector can positively impact livelihoods, while exposing high school and university graduates interested in travel and tourism to different career paths and employment opportunities within the sector through networking, market access and insights into the Africa Tourism Supply Chain.
Set to take place from 27 and 29 July, the summit will present an updated post Covid-19 tourism recovery strategy for 2022 to 2024.
This according to Erongo governor Neville Andre, who said government - through the tourism ministry - won a bid to host the summit for a period of three years in collaboration with Africa Tourism Partners and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation.
The event will also be hosted in close collaboration with the youth and education ministries as well as the Namibia Tourism Board.
Andre said Namibia experienced an increase in tourist arrivals from 1992 to 2019; however, since the outbreak of Covid-19 tourist arrivals declined by a massive 89.4%.
“This summit is ideal to restore confidence and reactivate the tourism sector in order to rebuild a more resilient tourism economy in future,” he said.
According to him, the event is an exclusive platform provided to innovative African youth in the sector seeking funding, partnership and mentorship opportunities to present their projects to the global marketplace to find the required support.
“It is also a platform to invite innovative ideas and solutions that go beyond technology but are related to the travel and tourism industry for review and adjudication by a pre-eminent panel of industry leaders,” Andre said.
Shortlisted candidates will be introduced to industry leaders for mentorship and potential funders.
Supporting small businesses
The summit is aimed at supporting and guiding small, medium and micro enterprises in navigating post Covid-19 challenges and opportunities, amongst other things, the governor said.
It also aims to provide career guidance for high school and university graduates interested in travel and tourism as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and events eco-system careers, encouraging a robust innovation culture in tourism based on skills development for business growth.
Additionally, he said, the event is expected to create greater awareness on the importance of tourism and how the sector can positively impact livelihoods, while exposing high school and university graduates interested in travel and tourism to different career paths and employment opportunities within the sector through networking, market access and insights into the Africa Tourism Supply Chain.
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