South Africa to Host UNWTO Inaugural Summit in 2010

As a reflection of the importance of major sporting, business and cultural events to re-inspire tourists to travel to global destinations, the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the South African Government announced that the T&T world’s first international Tourism, Sport and Mega-events Summit will be held in Sandton, South Africa from February 24 to 26, 2010.

The summit will provide a forum for active discussion, debate and direction around the leverage of mega-events as a vital force for sector growth and advancement in national development strategies.

A number of major global events will be held in 2010, including the FIFA World Cup in South Africa; the Commonwealth Games in India; the World Exhibition in Shanghai, China; and the Winter Games in Canada.

With this taken into consideration, the UNWTO seeks to align the global T&T sector’s leadership to create a framework for leveraging sport and other mega-events (including cultural and entertainment events, exhibitions and business conventions) for economic growth.

This process must take into account the economic, social and environmental consequences for host nations, and the massive multimedia opportunities for nation branding and export promotion. The summit will be held parallel to the annual Meetings Africa, Africa’s top business tourism exhibition hosted annually by South African Tourism.