President Jacob Zuma will use the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting, which gets under way in Switzerland this week, to set the scene for South Africa’s hosting of the 17th United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP17) in December.

Zuma will join Mexico President Felipe Calderón in a session to discuss the lessons from 2009 conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the 2010 Cancun meeting in Mexico.

Zuma will also reflect on the expectations from COP 17, which will be held in Durban.

“COP 17 will provide an opportunity for Africa to direct attention to the impact of climate change on the continent and the developing world,” the Presidency said in a statement on Tuesday, ahead of the January 26 to 28 meeting.

Zuma, who will lead the South African delegation to the WEF meeting, would use his attendance to market the country and would host a dialogue with about 60 CEOs of international companies to discuss opportunities in South Africa.

The President is accompanied by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa and Energy Minister Dipuo Peters.

Gordhan said that South Africa’s attendance of the WEF takes place just weeks after the invitation to join the Bric countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China.

"Our membership of Bric increases strategic cooperation among the emerging markets of the South, and indicates the change and new voice that is emerging globally. We are starting the year on a positive footing and look forward to more successes on the international front, which will contribute to our job creation drive,” said Gordhan.

Meanwhile, the Tourism Department said that Van Schalkwyk would raise a number of tourism issues at the WEF meeting.

He is the chairperson of the WEF Industry Agenda Council for Aviation, which monitors key trends and global risks in aviation and tourism and puts forward ideas and solutions to address these global challenges.

Trends that would be discussed during Van Schalkwyk’s engagements include the multispeed recovery of travel and tourism following the financial crisis, the impact of currency wars and new transport security arrangements on tourism, and new opportunities presented by emerging technologies.

“The meeting in Davos is being held against the backdrop of a multispeed recovery in international tourism, with different geographic markets and industry sectors responding differently to global economic conditions. Because of the country’s heavy dependence on foreign tourists, economic conditions in major tourist-generating markets directly affect tourism revenue. The 2008/9 global financial crisis fundamentally changed the economic and consumer landscape and we will be exploring our response to these changes during various meetings in Davos,” Van Schalkwyk stated.

In 2009, global tourist arrivals declined by between 4,2% (United Nations World Tourism Organisation) and 5,1% (World Travel and Tourism Council). Last year saw a return to positive territory, with year-on-year growth in arrivals in 2010 estimated at 4,5% – driven largely by emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Although travel demand in 2011 is expected to grow at the long-term average of 4%, it would likely be at a slower pace than in 2010 – and unevenly spread between mature and emerging markets.

Van Schalkwyk said that outbound growth from Europe was forecast at between 1% and 2% in 2011, which should be compared with the expected double-digit outbound growth rates from Asian markets, such as China, South Korea and Malaysia.

Van Schalkwyk would also raise risks to travel and tourism with a view to enhancing coordination at a global level.