Govt sets up tourism fund

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
Government is setting up a tourism revolving fund (TRF) to improve products and make them more accessible to local tourists and domestic investors, a senior official has said.

Acting Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Dr Christopher Mushohwe said this while responding to a question by Southerton legislator Mr Gift Chimanikire on what Government was doing to improve domestic tourism.

“In order to support local players in the industry, the ministry is in the process of developing a TRF,” he said. “This will help to improve the tourism product and make it more accessible to the domestic people as well as attract domestic investors.”

Dr Mushohwe said a national tourism master plan had been developed to guide tourism development in the country, with 10 tourism development zones having already been identified for both domestic and international tourists.

He said a schools education programme had been launched to inculcate a culture of taking holidays among children.

“In order to further promote domestic tourism, the ministry is in the process of developing and revitalising community-based tourism projects with the assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency,” he said. “So far, 80 projects were identified and four pilot CBTs were selected to inform the CBT manual to be finalised in May 2017.

“These include Tengenenge Arts and Culture, Chesvingo Cultural Village, Bulawayo Township Tour and Girezi Eco-Tourism. These projects are wholly-owned and manned by communities and we are expecting both local and international tourists to visit these areas. This will also benefit local communities in the vicinity.”

Dr Mushohwe said domestic tourism had the potential to grow and sustain the economy and added that his ministry and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority were open to partner any Zimbabwean willing to enter the industry.