US diplomats bike ride across borders to support tourism, sustainable development and wildlife conservation
Harare, May, 2013: United States Ambassadors to Zimbabwe and Zambia, Bruce Wharton and Mark Storella, will embark next week on a cross-border bike ride to promote international tourism, economic growth, and wildlife conservation in the two countries. The diplomats will lead a delegation of cyclists, including Zimbabwean comedian Carl Joshua Ncube and popular ZiFM DJ Lorraine Bgoya. On the Zambian side, the delegation will be joined by Miss USA Nana Meriwether, who is currently visiting Zambia.
The trip is being held to highlight the economic and conservation merits of tourism in the area ahead of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly set to be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, and Livingstone, Zambia, in August this year. According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Association, Americans make up the largest group of non-African international tourists to Zimbabwe.
“Zimbabwe and Zambia share one of the great natural wonders of the world: Victoria Falls,” said Ambassador Wharton. “With spectacular landscapes and wildlife, this area is truly a world treasure andshould be protected and nurtured for future generations from every country to cherish. It is also the foundation for a growing eco-tourism industry that can and should create jobs and bring development to the people of the area.”
The tour begins in Zambia on Tuesday, May 21st and ends on the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls on Thursday, May 23rd. The two diplomats and their group will bicycle through Livingstone and Victoria Falls, visiting the national parks on both sides of the border, learning about snare clearing and endangered vultures, and meeting with disabled handicraft makers. They will also meet local government officials, tour a U.S. government-funded family planning clinic, and visit the medical clinic that assists American tourists in the unfortunate need of medical evacuation.
Zimbabwe and Zambia will co-host the 20th UNWTO General Assembly from August 24-29 in Victoria Falls and Livingstone. This is only the second time that Africa will host the UNWTO General Assembly, after Senegal in 2005. It is the first time for it to be held in the SADC and COMESA regions, to which both neighboring countries belong.
