The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
Government is committed to youth participation in the economy, according to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Ambassador Raphael Faranisi.
He was speaking at the launch of Find and Go, a tourism information platform developed by youthful entrepreneur Ms Tumelo Mabanga, which won the Tourism Innovation Challenge (2022).
“Government’s commitment to youth participation in the economy has created an environment for the youth to come up with new ideas through the various innovation hubs in our tertiary institutions,” said Ambassador Faranisi.
Government, through the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund, has established innovation hubs at universities across the country to enhance research and support Zimbabwe’s modernisation and industrialisation drive.
The innovation hubs have provided opportunities for youths to come up with high-impact innovations that contribute to the country’s economic development.
Youths’ contribution, he added, extends to the entire travel and tourism value chain.
“As a ministry, we believe that young people play an important role in the growth of the tourism sector. They can be agents of change and recovery and can be strong advocates for sustainable tourism,” he said.
“With their general increase in mobility, the duration of youth travel has been projected to increase in the future.
“Since the youths travel for longer periods and are keen to immerse in the local life, they also tend to spend a greater proportion of their budget on the destination contributing to the livelihoods of local communities.
“Young people are also increasingly traveling in search of new experiences, aiming to get the most out of travel.”
Ms Mabanga said the platform plans to enhance visibility of the country’s tourism service providers.
“Service providers in the tourism sector do not have enough visibility and, as such, they cannot grow their businesses to their full potential; Find and Go gives them visibility by bringing them online,” she said.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s Tourism Innovation Challenge aligns with Government’s thrust on innovation.
