Of dead domestic tourism

Ray Bande recently in Beijing, China
BACK in the years, Anotidaishe Matake, now 34, occasionally drove along the meandering Vumba Road together with his two siblings and their parents, a school teacher and a nurse, in some memorable trips to the various scenic sites of the evergreen area.

This was a simple middle-class family that could afford such excursions.

For the Matake family, occasional visits to the picturesque Vumba were part of numerous similar tours of areas such as Chimanimani Outward Bound resort, the Hot Springs in Nyanyadzi or the Nyanga Mountains.

Anotidaishe, who now looks back to the good old days with nostalgia, still believes that the occasional trips to several local tourist destination sites were not only exciting but contributed immensely to the well-being of the family unit as they created special memories that still linger in their minds today.

Her story is not peculiar to their family alone but relates to many Zimbabweans who had embraced the value of local tourist destination sites especially soon after independence and some years thereafter.

Today, Zimbabwe’s tourism sector received international acclamation for its hospitality and beauty, but the locals are not part of the seemingly success story.

It is known that tourism has the potential to be a strong pillar of the Zimbabwean economy, but it is sad that locals can hardly be part of the good story given the liquidity crunch and general economic strain which has left many surviving from hand to mouth.

Much as we all agree that tourism can be a strong contributor to the economy, Government should be seen to strengthen the industry to enable it (tourism industry) to play its role in the overall development of the country.

Ideas must not just be left unattended to.

Rather they must be operationalised, so as to contribute to the growth of the industry and economic development as a whole.

Unlike the system in China where valuable tourist destination sites such as the Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, Buddha’s Temble, the Great Wall, Tea Museums and many more are well looked after, many tourism products in Zimbabwe lie in a deplorable state.

One needs not go further than the Matendera Ruins in Buhera in Manicaland to provide evidence to that assertion.

It is for this reason that Government should increase the budget allocation for the sector as a way of underscoring its recognition of the potential of the industry in accelerating the country’s economic growth.

Even in these harsh economic conditions, the parent ministry, Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, is also duty bound to devise ways and means of promoting domestic tourism as a tool to market local tourism products to the outside world.

In any case, officials in Government, like in many other sectors, are paid to think!

Government should facilitate the development and maintenance of cultural villages and enclaves as a critical appendage to tourism which is fast gaining economic relevance as a source of revenue generation and employment creation.

As we move forward, there is greater need to focus on revamping all the tourist and natural resource centres to help raise funds to support the country’s economic development.

There is an undeniable need to make deliberate efforts to strengthen the industry and put much value on the Zimbabwean creative industry,

Projects that encourage Zimbabweans to visit the country’s attractive tourism sites through vigorous promotion and showcasing of aspects of the cultural heritag e and creative arts products and services, need not be overemphasised.

World over, economic think-tanks have noted that the tourism industry has demonstrated its role as a vital tool in the advancement of economies through direct domestic and foreign exchange earnings and through the employment and investment opportunities it generates.

In our case, the industry should be redesigned to make it more attractive and valuable to Zimbabweans as it has the potential to be the hub of the country’s economic development and further growth.

It is high time that efforts aimed at making Zimbabweans appreciate and value what they have as a country are made hence pave way for vibrant domestic tourism to resurface.