adminLiberty Dube Business Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’s first female Tourism and Hospitality Minister after Independence, Mrs Victoria Chitepo, has implored tourism players to extensively market Brand Zimbabwe and make the country known first before getting concerned about tourists’ influx. Speaking at the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe annual conference awards dinner held last Thursday at a Mutare hotel, Mrs Chitepo (87) who is also wife to the late hero, and former Zanu PF chairman, Cde Herbert Chitepo, said the hospitality industry had the potential to improve if innovative strategies were put into place.
“Zimbabwe is a beautiful country and it must be well marketed. During our time, it was a question of making Zimbabwe known first by extensively nurturing its brand.
“It should not be a question of being concerned that how many people have come into the country. Zimbabwe has intelligent and innovative people who have the potential to scale the country to dizzy heights,” she said.
During the blissful night, Mrs Chitepo was handed over an award of honour by the HAZ.
The awards ceremony preceded the HAZ annual general meeting where the new executive was elected into office.
Rainbow Towers operations director, Mr George Manyumwa, was elected HAZ chairman taking over from Golden Peacock general manager, Mr Tamuka Macheka.
He will serve for the next two years and will be deputised by Mr Innocent Manyera, a lecturer at Chinhoyi University of Technology and Mrs Naomi Saizi of Village Lodges in Gweru.
In an interview, Mr Manyumwa said challenges bedeviling the hospitality industry needed revolutionary changes and innovation to match international standards or else the industry will walk on its knees.
“If we honestly benchmark our products and their offerings with global best-practices, we have to innovate with intensity to be relevant and not lag behind as a nation.
“If we do not embrace the call to innovate, yes, we might remain in business for a while, but will inevitably have to close shop sooner rather than later.
“I would challenge the secretariat to schedule at least a visit to each region by members of the executive, where we would engage relevant members in respective communities in an exciting manner, befitting of hospitality. In this way, we should further enhance our profile as an Association as well as recruit much needed new members,” he said.
Outgoing HAZ president, Mr Macheka said during his two-year tenure he laid a foundation for Manyumwa to take over and come up with fresh ideas.
“I have confidence in him and the entire executive. We believe they will continue from where I left and come up with fresh ideas to tackle with challenges affecting the tourism and hospitality industry. We also welcome a lady vice-president, which makes the executive quota system balanced,” he said.
Macheka was automatically elevated into the HAZ board of elders which consists of past presidents of the organisation.
The three-day conference was held under the theme: “In Search of Hospitality Innovation”.
Online Reporter