TOURISM and entertainment minister, Dr Wykeham McNeill says the tourism sector has the greatest potential to create wealth and can be a catalyst for development.

Minister McNeill, who is chairman of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Executive Council, was addressing members of the UNWTO Working Group on Official Development Assistance (ODA), at its meeting in Medellín, Colombia on Saturday.

The sub-committee was established by the world body, whose main role is to promote tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offer leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide.

Initiated and chaired by South Africa, the ODA Fund was established to address the unacceptable levels of donor funds to tourism. The sub-committee, whose members include Egypt, France, Kenya and Mexico, held its first meeting in London two years ago to set up the fund, and approval for its existence will now go to the Congress of the UNWTO for ratification and approval.

Dr McNeill’s recommendation to the meeting that the sub-committee should continue to exist in order to help define the use of the fund was agreed to by UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai.