TOURISM and Hospitality Industry minister Walter Mzembi has lashed out at the decision by the African Marketing Confederation (AMC) to cancel the inaugural African Marketing Summit that was scheduled for Victoria Falls next month citing Ebola fears. RICHARD MUPONDE SENIOR REPORTER
Mzembi said the decision could have ripple effects on the economy.
The meeting was supposed to be held from October 15 to 18 at in the resort town.
Mzembi said no organisation had the right to issue a travel ban on the country except the government of Zimbabwe through sector ministries and pronounced by the Foreign Affairs ministry.
According to the AMC board of directors, the decision to postpone the summit follows requests by member countries in view of the unfolding Ebola pandemic.
The body comprises membership of partners in six countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, which is currently battling Ebola, Zambia, Kenya, Ghana and Zimbabwe.
In an interview yesterday, Mzembi said the decision by AMC to bar countries from West Africa from attending the meeting was tantamount to creating xenophobia between states.
“Organisations have no say about travel bans.
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I am very worried about the whole situation, not only as a minister but also as the chairperson of the Commission for Africa under UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organisation),”he said.
“We have a reconciled position as the International Civil Aviation Organisation and WHO (World Health Organisation) that we should not create panic about Ebola, “We agreed that there should be screening at ports of entry and issuing travel bans was very severe and damning to inter-State positions.
This could very easily affect the whole economy of this country.
“Yes, we can issue travel warnings not travel bans. What happened is creating xenophobia between states. We should not allow xenophobia.”
He said such reckless decisions would create problems for the country in doing business in future in the event that the Ebola epidemic was contained.
“When we consolidated to brand Africa and in the process you are put to task like in the case of Ebola and you make such decisions, you will definitely achieve the opposite,”Mzembi said.
“The organisation should have waited for our input since they had invited me as the guest of honour.
Before making such decisions, reference should be made to sector ministries”.
Mzembi said the continent should be tactical in dealing with the Ebola pandemic and avoid the debranding of the motherland.
“It’s unfortunate that the meeting had to be postponed and we can’t continue debranding the continent like that,”he said.
It’s disheartening that some of the institutions that are talking and making statements have no mandate to talk about travel bans”.
Nearly 5 000 people have now contracted Ebola in West Africa and half of them have died from it.
Zimbabwe won the bid to host the summit in September last year after successfully co-hosting the UNWTO general assembly in Victoria Falls.
