Gastronomy forum fills up Victoria Falls hotels

HOTELS, lodges, and rural AirBnBs in Victoria Falls are fully booked as the city gears up to host approximately 10 000 attendees for the first United Nations Tourism (UN Tourism) Regional Forum on Gastronomy for Africa.

The event, which will be officiated by President Mnangagwa on Friday has sparked significant interest, leading to a surge in accommodation bookings. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is also expected to attend with his Bureau.

The forum is expected to bring together a diverse group of participants, including Government officials, tourism industry stakeholders, culinary experts, and international delegates. The focus of the forum will be on promoting Africa’s rich gastronomic heritage and exploring opportunities for culinary tourism as a driver of economic growth and cultural exchange.

The high occupancy rates in Victoria Falls underscore the event’s significance and the city’s capacity to host large-scale international gatherings. The influx of visitors is anticipated to provide a substantial economic boost to the local hospitality and tourism sectors, showcasing Victoria Falls as a premier destination for international events.

President Mnangagwa’s presence at the forum highlights the importance of tourism and gastronomy in Zimbabwe’s national development strategy.

The event is set to enhance the visibility of African culinary traditions on the global stage and foster greater collaboration within the region’s tourism industry.

Stakes are high as the whole tourism value chain from big hotels and lodges, tour operators, transport, and horticulture to curio and food vendors are expected to benefit from the three-day conference, which begins on Friday until Sunday.

Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi yesterday said preparations are almost complete ahead of the prestigious event.

She said thousands of locals are expected to attend the event to celebrate together with the First Lady Dr Auxilia Mnangagwa for her recognition by the UN Tourism.

“We are 98 percent ready, and about 16 Ministers have confirmed, and there are about six Ambassadors and three Permanent Secretaries who have also confirmed and will be representing Ministers.

“We are oversubscribed and there is a huge crowd of locals that is coming to celebrate with the First Lady on her award, so we expect over 10 000 people at the official event where His Excellency President Mnangagwa will be the guest,” said Minister Rwodzi.

She said the actual forum will commence soon after the official opening.
President Mnangagwa and the First Lady are set to be honoured by UN Tourism for their exceptional contributions in championing gastronomy tourism, not only in Zimbabwe but the African continent at large.

Both President Mnangagwa and Dr Mnangagwa will be conferred with the honour at the UN’s Regional Forum on Gastronomy for Africa.

Zimbabwe was chosen to host the forum in the wake of an exceptional exhibition of the country’s culture and cuisine by a Zimbabwean delegation at a similar forum held in Spain in October last year and in recognition of the work being done by the First Lady in promoting the concept of gastronomy tourism from the grassroots level.

Dr Mnangagwa, through her Angel of Hope Foundation, has been instrumental in advocating for gastronomy tourism in her humanitarian work locally and abroad. She has also pushed the gastronomy tourism agenda thereby helping market the country’s traditional cuisines.

A Chronicle news crew yesterday observed that preparatory works were underway at Elephant Hills Golf Course, the venue of the event and tents have been pitched.

Minister Rwodzi said the UN Tourism is using the event to encourage community tourism and value chains.
“Everything is set and accommodation is oversubscribed as it is now difficult to get accommodation in Victoria Falls for this period. However, we thank some SMEs who have facilities especially rural, and we are impressed by that,” she said.

“UN Tourism is coming to encourage communities to be involved in the tourism sector for community development. The UN Tourism is encouraging value chains.

“We are promoting agriculture value chains so that communities get into groups and start nutritional gardens where they will grow and supply facilities. As Zimbabwe, we are very happy that we are a living example of that.”

A tourism technical delegation visited Victoria Falls two months ago to inspect conference and accommodation facilities as well as assess the resort city’s readiness ahead of the event and was impressed. This will be the first gastronomy conference on the African continent and a serious accolade for Zimbabwe through efforts by the First Lady.

Gastronomy speaks to product diversification and the use of traditional foods and indigenous knowledge systems as a tourism attraction and is one of the priorities for the Africa agenda as prepared by member states for brand Africa.

Formerly the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the UN Tourism is the world body’s agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable, and universal access to tourism as a driver to economic growth.

Victoria Falls co-hosted the UN World Tourism Organisation Summit in 2013 with Livingstone in Zambia and the UN Tourism Communication Media and Tourism Training in Africa Workshop last November, as well as several other world events such as the UN Economic Commission for Africa Ministers of Finance early this year.

This is a rubber stamp to the destination riding on efforts by the Government to market the destination and Second Republic’s engagement and re-engagement policy. — @ncubeleon