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Leonard Ncube in VICTORIA FALLS
ZIMBABWE’S hospitality and basket of tourism activities, especially in Victoria Falls, have charmed a group of visiting journalists and entertainment personalities from the region who have vowed to rigorously market the destination.
The delegation, which is in the country on a five-day familiarisation tour, is drawn from a number of Sadc countries.
The tour is aimed at promoting the Brand Zimbabwe destination and supporting the “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra.
It is running under theme, “True Zimbabwe Tour” as part of a charm offensive by key stakeholders to continue amplifying Zimbabwe as a premium travel and investment destination.
African Chrome Fields, a mining giant which is a progressive player in the sector with environmental sustainability in mind and seeking to showcase the country through the initiative, is sponsoring the tour.
The Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services organised the tour as a follow-up to a recent dinner meeting that was attended by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Monica Mutsvangwa, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development Winston Chitando, and captains of industry in Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the meeting, a call was made to support the “Zimbabwe is open for business” drive and promote image building for the country which goes to the polls on 23 August.
The journalists and renowned entertainment personalities Sello Maake kaNcube, Sonia Mbele and Pearl Thusi will become Zimbabwe Tourism ambassadors. The group arrived on Monday save for Pearl who joined yesterday afternoon, and had a feel of local hospitality with lunch at Lookout Café before sampling the local culture and dishes at the Boma Dinner and Drum Show in the evening.
Yesterday morning they went for a game drive in the Zambezi National Park where they encountered a number of animals before touring the Victoria Falls Rainforest and also going on a boat cruise. During the day they interacted with local people and tourism executives.
The group will fly to Harare today for more activities that include touring farms, mines as well as the new Parliament building and the National Heroes’ Acre.
Tonight, Minister Mutsvangwa will host a gala dinner for them at a Harare hotel.
Mr Conrad Mwanza, one of the organisers, said: “Our programme kicked off in the world famous Victoria Falls and will filter into different areas of Zimbabwe for the best first-hand experience for our guests and the people of Zimbabwe.”
The country is targeting a US$5 billion tourism industry by 2025 and in 2020, President Mnangagwa launched the National Tourism Recovery Strategy whose vision is to revive local tourism towards making Zimbabwe a destination of choice.
Speaking in separate interviews, the delegation members said they were charmed by Victoria Falls’ scenic nature and hospitality of the people.
“This is all inspiring. The beauty of nature,” said Maake kaNcube at the rainforest.
Earlier he said: “I am in Zimbabwe and what brings me is the tour that is organised by the media who asked me to come and join them. The hospitality is just so warm. This is how I have always known Zimbabweans to be.”
This is his 4th time in Zimbabwe and only the second time in Victoria Falls.
Mbele said it was her first time in Victoria Falls and she enjoyed every bit of it as the tour was also breather from her busy film producing schedule.
Majirata Latela, a journalist from Lesotho said: “It’s my first time here and it’s very beautiful. I am loving it. I wish I can stay here and come every day.”
Charlaine Camacho, an editor from South Africa said the beautiful nature of Victoria Falls was amazing.
“I am here as a guest of African Chrome Fields and I feel absolutely overwhelmed because I have never seen anything like this in my life. There is nowhere where you can stand and see the whole waterfall at once and getting wet is actually fun,” she said.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter