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Tendai Rupapa in BULAWAYO
TOURISM players and Government officials should foster productive partnerships that go beyond borders to share best practices, innovate in service delivery and create a richer experience for travellers, the country’s tourism and hospitality patron, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, has said.
In her remarks as guest of honour at the 17th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo 2024, at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Grounds in Bulawayo on Friday, Dr Mnangagwa said strategic partnerships were not merely beneficial but essential in the quest for tourism growth.
This came amid revelations that, for the first time in history, tourism has been the highest contributor to the fiscus over the past nine months, overtaking agriculture and mining, thanks to the efforts by the First Lady, especially in gastronomy tourism, which have strengthened the tourism brand.
From January to September, tourism has been contributing 12 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), beating agriculture, which has been affected by climate change, while the mining sector has been weighed down by plummeting mineral prices on the global stage.
The Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo brought together international buyers, tourists, players in the tourism industry and experts, including Mr Victor Tharage, who was representing South Africa’s Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille.
The mother of the nation and her entourage started proceedings by touring exhibitions by Suskwe Hotels and Resorts, Hyatt Regency, as well as the Visit South Africa stand and the Walvis Bay stand.
Dr Mnangagwa proceeded to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority stand, where she learnt that it was popular owing to the national fabric that was being sold there, with visitors from across the country’s boarders scrambling for it.
As the environment patron, she made a whistle-stop at the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) stand, where she was applauded for her sterling works in environmental management.
The entourage also visited the Airports Company of Zimbabwe stand, which housed Air Zimbabwe, Qatar airways, fastjet, Rwandair and the Aviation Training Academy.
A fastjet representative gladly accepted the First Lady’s humble request to serve traditional dishes during their flights to promote gastronomy tourism and ensure travellers benefitted from their high nutritional value and medicinal properties.
“Amai was commenting and acknowledging the additional flights and all the additional connectivity that we have invested into the city of Bulawayo as Fastjet,” said Ms Vivian Ruuya, the chief commercial officer for fastjet Zimbabwe.
“She asked if we could try to incorporate some of the local foods into our snack boxes so that we can expose that to our customers. Indigenous foods help us in showing that we are a Zimbabwean carrier and we are in line with our traditions as Zimbabweans, and in promoting good health and all the good food that we have. Our connectivity reaches as far as South Africa. We are able to touch the different market segments to international tourists to get a taste of what we have in Zimbabwe.”
The First Lady and her team proceeded to a hall which was the gastronomy hub, where hoteliers and various chefs were exhibiting, with winners of Amai’s cookout competitions also taking part.
Some have started their own restaurants and are looking forward to expanding.
Different African countries, including Ghana and Nigeria, were also showcasing their cuisines.
Mrs Clara Matuke from Kwekwe, who came second nationally and regionally in last year’s cookout competitions, was grateful to the First Lady for showing her the light.
“Amai’s cookout competition has helped us so much as we have become very innovative and creative.
“We have managed to make our products, like we are making our steamed bread through the products that we are getting straight from our farms. We also managed to come up with different dishes that our foreign guests enjoyed and requested for more.
“We have so many projects that are coming up through Amai’s cookout competition, and we would like to thank her. I have teamed up with other winners from our province and we are coming up with restaurants that we are opening soon,” she said.
The mother of the nation had the honour to present awards to winners.
In her address, Amai Mnangagwa extended a warm welcome to foreign exhibitors, buyers and the media for accepting the invitation to tour Zimbabwe.
“The Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo event gathers the brightest minds in the tourism sector, creating a unique opportunity for collaboration, dialogue and inspiration. As we gather under one roof, let us recognise the collective responsibility we bear in shaping the future of tourism, not only in our respective nations, but across the global landscape,” she said.
Over the past 17 years, Dr Mnangagwa said the expo has grown and succeeded due to the tourism industry’s collaborative efforts across sectors.
The tourism industry, she said, was seized with a growth strategy which further organises the tourism and hospitality industry into clusters.
“I believe that these efforts by the ministry to segment and give focus and direction on what yields the most results has resulted in the recent focus on gastronomy tourism that falls under the culture and heritage tourism cluster. When I initiated the traditional cookout competitions three years ago, I worked with the ministry until this programme received international attention. This resulted in the successful hosting of the first UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy in Victoria Falls from July 26-28, 2024,” she said.
Zimbabwe, Dr Mnangagwa said, was an attractive destination which has several heritage sites and is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, The Victoria Falls.
She said, above all, Zimbabwe was a peaceful country with some of the most hospitable and friendly people on earth.
She exhorted players in the tourism industry to take advantage of the expo as a platform to network and create partnerships that will take tourism to another level for the benefit of nations, as well as rise to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Speaking at the same occasion, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi described it as a great pleasure to work with Dr Mnangagwa as the First Lady, but also as the industry’s patron, mentor and teacher.
“We are shining here today and people think the minister and her team are doing great, but let me announce to this crowd here that our guest of honour is our leader in this. We hold meetings with her; frequently she calls me and my team to discuss how we can make Zimbabwe tourism better,” she said.
“We, as Government, are going to be working together and, as rightly said by Mr Tharage, the Southern region is the corner stone of African tourism. Let me welcome everyone in the room, Your Excellency, the international buyers and the international media and all the domestic tourists who came from the different parts of the country. Your presence is a resounding endorsement of growing interest in our country’s distinctive experiences and products. We extend our sincerest gratitude for your unwavering support and participation to this annual tourism showcase Sanganai/Hlanganani in Bulawayo,” she said.
Minister Rwodzi said Zimbabwe’s stunning landscapes are its heritage, hence the country’s tourism strategy is heritage-based.
“Zimbabwe has hospitable people, very warm people, welcoming and of course with big gifts to give you to go back and sell the Zimbabwe story. Above everything, our food is amazing, purifying, taking people together through our food. It is you, Your Excellency, who has brought us to where we are with our gastronomy and again we thank you for that,” she said.
Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Tongai Mnangagwa acknowledged Dr Mnangagwa’s contribution to the development of tourism in the country.
“For the first time in history, tourism has been the highest contributor to the fiscus for the past nine months. Traditionally, it has been agriculture and mining in that order. But for the past nine months, because of the work that’s being done in tourism, especially the gastronomy heritage-based tourism, that has brought in a lot of income, a lot of visitors. Tourism is now number one, especially because of the gastronomy tourism that is being spearheaded by Amai, our First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa. As we clustered our tourism, we included culture and heritage so that people will come and enjoy our indigenous food,” he said.
Mr Tharage said it was essential to strengthen collaboration in tourism development for the benefit of nations and their citizens.
“We are not doing any taboo, we are not pickpocketing people, we are actually doing what we have always been doing as Africans. It’s been our culture. The hospitality that we were extended was very phenomenal. But now, what does that have to do with sustainability? Sustainability is what we have to make. The more we have to go back to where we come from, the more we become sustainable. When Amai says gastronomy tourism and you go to visit where you are going to have the real taste of African cuisine, you are actually going back to sustainability. The ingredients will never run out,” he said to applause.
Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube said: “The fact that we are hosting Zimbabwe’s premium tourism and trade expo is evident enough that we are a must-visit destination. Sanganai/Hlanganani is meant to deliberate on issues that we have already repositioned as a prime tourist destination in accordance with the national vision towards a prosperous and victorious upper middle-income society by 2030.
“Reflecting on our national aspiration, our focus as Bulawayo Metropolitan Province is to strengthen relations and nurture strategic business alliances for tourism growth. As we showcase Africa’s best tourism products today, we share a common goal to enhance and strengthen our tourism industry for the benefit of our nation.”
The Best Gastronomy Stand was won by the Rainbow Tourism Group, whilst the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ) scooped the Best Zimbabwean Stand. The Best International Stand winner was South Africa Tourism.
ACZ scooped the Best Overall Stand accolade, with the Best Training Institution awarded going to the University of Zimbabwe, while Kwamahla scooped the Best New Exhibitor.
Matabeleland South won the Best Provincial Stand, with Malachite getting the Best Tour Operator Stand. Fastjet won the Best Airline Stand, with the Best Green Tourism Stand going to EMA.
The Best Community Tourism Projects accolade was won by Jairos Jiri.
A Zimbabwe-based Tswana arts ensemble, Simunye Simunye, and local arts outfit IYASA provided entertainment.
Online Reporter