Millennium Villages as Tourism Destinations Project International Workshop on Health Issues and Tourism in Africa - Seoul, Republic of Korea

Catherine Germier-Hamel, Millennium Destinations, with Dr. Joanna Rubinstein, Chief of Staff, the Earth Institute and Mr. Ellis Rubinstein, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences

Within the framework of its Millennium Villages as Tourism Destinations Project, UNWTO ST-EP Foundation hosted an International Workshop on Health Issues and Tourism in Africa on Oct. 31st, 2014, at the Foundation's headquarters in Seoul, Rep. of Korea, with Dr. Joanna Rubinstein, Chief of Staff and Director of the Center for Global Health and Economic Development at the Earth Institute, as keynote speaker, and Ms. Catherine Hamel, Sustainable Tourism Expert, as moderator. 

Participants of the workshop included the five Master’s students of Park Chung-hee School of Policy and Saemaul in North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, from Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Sudan, and Tanzania.

In her presentation, Dr. Rubinstein introduced the Millennium Villages Project and its achievements since 2005, particularly regarding health and innovation. The workshop was followed by a working luncheon focusing on the negative impact of Ebola outbreak on the whole tourism industry in Africa, and the challenges and obstacles related to the fear of travelling to Africa due to safety and health issues. All participants shared their personal ideas and stories to improve the image of African destinations. 

With Amb. Dho Young-shim, Chairperson of UNWTO ST-EP Foundation, Dr. Rubinstein, Mr. Rubinstein, Mr. Eric Park (3rd from left), Director of International Tourism Division, Korean Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Tourism, ST-EP Foundation’s staff, and the five students at Yeungnam University in North Gyeongsang Province from Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Sudan, and Tanzania.