Kuda Mutandi
in Victoria Falls
Elephant Hills Resort in Victoria Falls has been given the nod to host the main event of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in 2013 ahead of other hotels in Victoria Falls and Livingstone, Zambia. The development comes after the signing of the Trilateral Host Agreement last week to mark the official countdown to the 20th UNWTO session of the general assembly, and means that the official opening will held at the resort hotel.

UNWTO secretary-general Dr Taleb Rifai announced this after touring and assessing the state of preparedness of the hotels.
“This is a magnificent venue; when setting up the conference centre, please keep the natural look. Do not cut down the trees around the hotel. I am happy with venue and this (Elephant Hills) will be our main venue for the conference,” said Dr Rifai. According to the UNWTO secretary-general, the bid submitted by the two countries was the first of its kind received by the secretariat in its 28-year history as a United Nations organ for world tourism. Dr Rifai declared that since there was no counter-bid for the hosting of the 2013 general assembly and in the spirit of rotating the hosting of the event, members unanimously agreed to allow Zambia and Zimbabwe to co-host the 2013 event. He assured the two nations of full support from the UNWTO secretariat.

Elephant Hills is owned by hospitality giant  African Sun Limited, which  is currently refurbishing its hotels after accessing a US$10 million  loan facility from the African Export and Import Bank (Afreximbank) to improve viability of the group’s operations. In an interview with The Sunday Mail Business, Elephant Hills general manager Mr Trythings Mutyandasvika expressed optimism that they will meet the deadline and address concerns raised by the UNWTO. “This is good news for the group (ASL) and Zimbabwe as a whole. We would want to assure you that we will definitely meet to address the issues raised in order to facilitate the successful hosting of the event.

“We are progressing well with our refurbishments and we will definitely meet our target and this is in line with our growth strategy.
“It also includes essential back-of-house items covering critical fire, life-safety items, product refurbishment and acquisition of new furniture,” he said.

The general assembly is the principal gathering of the UNWTO, which meets after every two years to consider the budget and programme of work of the United Nations specialised agency on tourism. Delegates to the general assembly are drawn from the six regional commissions of the UNWTO from Africa, the Americas, the East and Pacific Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.

The event usually attracts 186 ministers responsible for tourism as well as media personnel and tourism stakeholders from various countries internationally, thereby raising the profiles of hosting countries worldwide.