UNWTO, Google to host first Tourism Acceleration Program in Sub-Saharan Africa
While no one can predict when the tourism sector will recover following Covid-19, people are starting to dream of getaways again, whether closer to home or remote destinations.
This is why the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Google have partnered on an online Acceleration Program for UNWTO Member States' tourism ministers, top travel associations and tourism boards to further develop innovation and digital transformation skills.
Ahead of World Tourism Day on September 27, the organisations hosted the first UNWTO & Google Tourism Acceleration Program focused on insights from South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. The organisations believe that as more and more people go online to search where and when they can travel, accelerating the digitisation of the tourism sector will be key to adapting to the new tourism reality.
Tourism is the backbone of many economies around the world. As data from UNWTO shows, tourism represents nine percept of global trade for Africa and 1 in 10 jobs directly and indirectly. Moreover, the sector drives inclusive growth, as women make up 54 percent of the workforce.