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THE Government plans to set up a National Conventions Bureau (NCB) before the end of the year whose task will be to scout for opportunities for the country to host major international gatherings, a cabinet Minister said yesterday. The NCB will ride on the back of the country’s successful co-hosting with Zambia of the 20th United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly in August.
To the surprise of many, Zimbabwe successfully co-hosted the international event, described as the best ever attended in the history of the UNWTO, soon after holding general elections.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi told delegates to the one-day Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (Mice) business forum that the country was going a gear up to exploit its capability to host major events.
“I have received support from the cabinet of Zimbabwe through his Excellency President Robert Mugabe, that we immediately look at the setting up of a National Conventions Bureau which shall be a cross cutting platform, going out there to advocate, lobby, scout and secure rights to international conventions, international meetings, international exhibitions and at the same time promoting incentive travel,” he said.
“We must establish the bureau within the next month,” he added.
Minister Mzembi said cabinet will within the next two weeks deliberate on the structure of the proposed bureau.
Local and regional tourism players attended the Mice forum, held on the sidelines of the three-day Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel and Tourism Africa Fair.
The meeting explored various opportunities and benefits presented by Mice tourism in Zimbabwe and Africa.
Sanganai is an annual tourism trade fair that the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) organised. At least 1 442 exhibitors, 208 of them foreign, are taking part in the showcase aimed at exposing to the world the variety of Africa’s best tourism products.
Minister Mzembi said the NCB would be tasked with auditing the conferencing assets that the country possesses which could be used to host major meetings and exhibitions.
“We are going to do a quick audit of available conferencing facilities and institutions and collapsing them on agreed terms and conditions on their use with their proprietors,” he said.
“We have enough facilities to kick off this vision.”
He said facilities such as the Gweru conference structure that Zanu-PF built for its national people’s conference in 2010 and the 18 000-seater ZCC Mutendi complex in Masvingo could also be included.
Minister Mzembi said the government together with the private sector had firm plans to reconstruct the dismantled conferencing facility used for the UNWTO general assembly. The structure, which was temporary, would be rebuilt at a cost of $6 million, with the private sector forking out $4 million and government, the remainder.
“The Cabinet has made a decision to retain at least 80 percent of the core structure and build around it a more permanent solution for conferencing in Victoria Falls,” he said.
It was not immediately clear whether the proposed bureau would be housed under the Ministry or the ZTA. – New Ziana
Online Reporter