WINDHOEK, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Zurab Pololikashvili will be on an official visit to Namibia from Nov. 1 to 4, an official said.
The visit is aimed at strengthening Namibia's tourism revival strategy and to pay tribute to the efforts done so far to save livelihoods and jobs, said Namibia's Ministry of the Environment, Forestry and Tourism, executive director, Teofilus Nghitila on Thursday in a statement.
Nghitila said this will be Pololikashvili first visit to Namibia and to any sub-Saharan African since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Like many other countries, the impact of COVID-19 on the Namibian tourism sector was severe with over 100,000 tourism jobs at risk," Nghitila said.
According to Namibia's Tourism Minister, Pohamba Shifeta, Namibia is open for international tourism and welcomes the Secretary-General to our shores.
"We remain committed to the work of UNWTO as a member of the executive council and an active participant in the programs of this UN agency focused on tourism," Shifeta added.
During the visit, the Secretary-General will be the guest speaker at the official opening of the Namibian Tourism Expo scheduled for Nov. 4.
The delegation will also visit the world heritage site of the Namib Sand-Sea in Sossusvlei and the Erongo region during their brief visit to Namibia. Enditem
