Within the context of the World Tourism Day and complementary to the on-going  ST-EP Project in Burundi,  the UNWTO Volunteer on the ground collaborated with the Ministry of Tourism to help organize a two-day “Open Doors” event at the National Tourism Office in Bujumbura from 26-27 September 2014. The theme for World Tourism Day 2014 was “Tourism and Community Development”, highlighting the community dimension as one of the key pillars of sustainable development.

The two-day event gathered some 300 visitors who enjoyed traditional performances while mingling with more than 35 exhibition booths, representing local artisans, public tourism institutions, tourism training institutes, tour operators, and the other tourism enterprises.

The event also provided the opportunity for the formal presentation of training certificates to a group of waiters and receptionists who participated in the training carried out from June to August 2014 as part of the activities of the ST-EP Project in Burundi. The ST-EP project in Burundi also focusses on supporting tourism SMEs to help generate additional local employment for women and youth in Bujumbara and at Lake Tanganyika.