SA Tourism Minister, Tokozile Xasa, was elected one of two Deputy Chairpersons of the Regional Commission for Africa (CAF), at the 22nd General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) held in Chengdu, China, from September 11-16.
Minister Xasa was appointed for a two-year term, alongside Amat Bah, from Gambia.
Kenya’s Najib Balala was elected to Chair the regional commission, succeeding Zimbabwe’s Walter Mzembi.
The regional tourism commissions enable member states to meet once a year to discuss concerns and formulate proposals to submit to the UNWTO for consideration.
“We extend our warm congratulations to Minister Xasa on this significant appointment. It’s a vote of confidence in the vision and leadership shown by South Africa as a major tourism player on the African continent and, indeed, on the world stage,” said South African Tourism CEO, Sisa Ntshona.
Since 2011, Xasa has spearheaded the National Department of Tourism’s Women in Tourism programme to upskill, empower and advance women in the tourism sector. This initiative was prompted by the slow pace of gender transformation in tourism and travel, locally as well as globally.
At this year’s Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban, Xasa launched the Women in Tourism 30 in 5 public-private partnership to increase the proportion of South African women in tourism management positions to 30% in the next five years.
Thirteen African countries are led by women in the tourism portfolio, and on the sidelines of the UNWTO General Assembly, an informal session held by these female tourism ministers, took several progressive resolutions to further the Women in Tourism agenda.
“We are pleased that the vital Women in Tourism campaign has been injected with fresh impetus, thanks to Minister Xasa’s election to the CAF leadership, and her determination and enthusiasm will no doubt see the elevation of this important vision on the African and global tourism agenda,” concluded Ntshona.
Minister Xasa is also the convenor for tourism ministers in the Southern African Development Community after South Africa took over the revolving chairmanship of the regional body last month.
