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Nokutenda Chiyangwa Herald Reporter
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira has called for the introduction of “command tourism” as a scheme that can possibly promote “cultural patriotism”.
Speaking at a cocktail for journalists held in the capital on Thursday, Minister Mupfumira said Zimbabweans needed to be afforded the opportunity to visit local tourist attractions as this is likely to augment revenue for tourism sector.
“It is very expensive for locals to visit tourist attractions in the country and this leads to most of our people even dying without having visited any of our beautiful scenery; therefore, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) needs to come up with some sort of plan that can reduce the cost of visiting a certain destination so that more of our people can be given a chance to embrace these places,” said Min Mupfumira.
“Imagine visiting the Victoria Falls being less expensive than it is now – more people will want to go and visit as it is a beautiful site. This will help financially and as well as culturally, as in order to fully understand the beauty of something, one needs to see it with their own eyes and that is not possible for most of the locals when the prices are so high,” she said.
Minister Mupfumira reiterated the need to promote domestic tourism.
“When I travelled to Chimoio, it was very emotional for me and the fact that most of our younger generation have no interest in our deeply rooted culture is saddening.
“We need to push them to visit the villages and learn about all the beautiful things our country has to offer because they are the future of the country,” she said.
Online Reporter