Government steps up efforts to market domestic tourism

Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor 

THE Government is working on a number of programmes of action around promoting domestic tourism that would also include heritage sites around the country.

In an interview yesterday, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu said the programmes, spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) were on a conceptual stage but will be finalised at the end of April. 

He said in the past only international tourist destinations like Victoria Falls and others have been marketed at the expense of other sites that could promote domestic tourism.

“We have been looking outwards but the focus now is to also promote domestic tourism that will include programmes to market township tourism and the turning of liberation sites into tourist sites. Domestic tourism is a key pillar to the economy,” said Minister Ndlovu. 

He said in the run up to the Independence Day, his Ministry will host a tourism expo looking at promoting heritage sites in the southern parts of the country.

“The expo will be held three days leading to Independence Day.  We will use the expo to also share and get ideas on the best ways to promote and market heritage and liberation sites as tourist sites so that we expand the sector even for foreign visitors,” he said. 

Bulawayo was selected to host the main programme of the 40th Independence Day celebrations, the first time since 1980 that it is held out of Harare in line with the Government’s devolution agenda. 

In an interview last week, veteran playwright and founder of Amakhosi Cultural Centre Cont Mhlanga called for the preservation of heritage sites that carry the country’s liberation history.

Mr Mhlanga said as Bulawayo welcomes the decision by the Government to devolve the holding of the main programme of the Independence Day celebrations, the first time it is held outside Harare since 1980, the preservation of liberation heritage sites and narrative will add much weight to the event.

He raised concern over the state of disrepair in institutions associated with the country’s liberation struggle such as the Stanley Hall and Stanley Square among others, coupled with a lack of narrative to preserve the liberation history.

Mr Mhlanga, however, said there was hope after the Government introduced the new education competence-based curriculum that emphasises on the need to record the country’s liberation history.

“Bulawayo was built on the strength of culture, heritage and recreation. That’s why if you go to every suburb, you find a recreational club, in all suburbs there is a library, youth centre and a hall. It shows you that there was a strong sense of heritage and the teaching of young people,” said Mr Mhlanga. 

He lamented that years of neglect have seen such halls and recreational centres lying in a state of disrepair while libraries are filled with donated books that do not carry the country’s heritage. 

“It means that the children are now reading the wrong content, it’s no longer the content that captures the memory of the local people but imposed content. This means that all Bulawayo heritage memory starts to suffer,” said Mr Mhlanga.

He said it was the duty of the City of Bulawayo and its residents to preserve the memory of the liberation. 

“It can’t be central Government, we have to persuade the city of Bulawayo to understand that Makokoba, the whole of it is heritage, it is the story of urbanisation for Africans after colonisation. We can’t talk of liberation without the mention of Makokoba, everything started here,” said Mr Mhlanga. 

“So, what are we doing as council and local Government if we can’t spend a dollar, if we say we are broke to preserve our own national memory and history, we can’t be broke to a point we chose to rub who we are. This is where our children,” he said.

“Bulawayo is the responsibility of everyone regardless of political affiliation, it’s their responsibility to preserve the memory of the city, we cannot destroy the memory of a city and be proud to host the 40th Independence celebrations.”