The Sunday Mail
Norman Muchemwa
Zimbabwe will tomorrow join the rest of the world in commemorating World Tourism Day, held every September 27.
Zimbabwe is a full member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and Government decided to take this year’s celebrations to Matopos in Matebeleland South province.
The main celebrations will be held at Maleme Rest Camp and they are meant to bring awareness on the socio-economic benefits that are derived globally through travel and tourism related initiatives.
The Matobo National Park is a world heritage site that is home to a beautiful landscape characterised by balancing granite outcrop, ancient rock paintings, spectacular wildlife views and splendid picnic sites.
The tourism facilities and conservation efforts create a lot of jobs and opportunities that feed into the Matopos tourism value chain.
In a statement, the Acting Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu said the day is important in promoting the tourism industry.
The tourism sector surpassed $1 billion in revenue in 2018.
“The day is significant to Zimbabwe because of the importance of the sector which generated 2,5 million arrivals in 2018 and earned the country $1,386 billion in the same year, whilst employing over 130 000 people directly and indirectly,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He added, “The theme for this year’s World Tourism celebrations is ‘Tourism and Jobs, a Better Future for All’. In line with the theme, the Ministry will host the main celebrations at Maleme Rest Camp, which is located in the Matopo National Park.
“Matopo National Park is but one of the many tourist attractions in Matebeleland South Province, which also hosts Lumeme Falls near Mtshabezi Dam, Nsimbi Caves and other wildlife areas in public and private protected areas.”
A lot of activities, Minister Ndlovu said, are on the cards to celebrate the day.
“A lot of activities are lined up for the day, and this is again an opportunity for the industry and the public to interact and share ideas. By taking the 2019 World Tourism Celebrations to Matebeleland South, our focus will be on how best to grow the tourism economy in that province.
“As ‘Team Tourism’, we are rolling out initiatives designed to create jobs at village, district and provincial levels and we call on all stakeholders to join us in this endeavour,” he said.
To that end, the Minister is inviting all players in the tourism industry, the public sector, members of the academia, members of the media and all Zimbabweans to join the World Tourism Day celebrations.
He urged other tourism players who cannot join the main celebrations to visit their nearest tourism places to commemorate the important day on the national tourism calendar.
