Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube in Bulawayo
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Investment Forum that was hosted by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority on the sidelines of the ongoing Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo on Friday, is a platform for business incubation which also boosts confidence in the tourism industry.
Various stakeholders including parastatals and the private sector attended the forum at a local hotel where expectations were high that this will be followed by business-business and country-country agreements.
The Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (Zida) also launched a business matchmaking platform at the forum and this is aimed at facilitating Investment in the tourism industry by creating a one-stop shop information centre where investors can access all potential local business projects.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi, who was guest speaker, said the platform launched by Zida was the key takeaway from the forum.
“The Investment Forum aims to increase tourism business in the country and to give confidence to investors, as well as articulate what the Government is doing.
“The key takeaway is what we have done with Zida and the business that will be created after the forum. We are doing networking and we want to know what business has been created here,” she told journalists at the end of the forum.
Minister Rwodzi said her Ministry will follow up on all engagements to trace business agreements emanating from the forum.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the forum, Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe president Mr Wengayi Nhau said there is already a business-business agreement made with Malawi.
“Currently there are business-business discussions but obviously we have continuous engagements as we do what we call joint tourism technical committee meetings.
“We actually had one with Malawi before the expo where we had a Malawi-Zimbabwe meeting for the first time, discussing a number of bilateral issues,” said Mr Nhau.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter