Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
MASVINGO is set to leverage sport as a catalyst for tourism growth when the city hosts a series of sporting activities ahead of the 19th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo next month.
The sporting activities, which will be held under the Sports Tourism Carnival, are scheduled for 1- 4 September as part of pre-events for the international tourism showcase.
According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), the carnival will feature football, netball, cricket, tennis, basketball, volleyball, boxing, marathon, pool (snooker), golf and rugby.
The events will be staged at Mucheke Stadium, Masvingo Sports Club, Masvingo Government Primary School, Kyle College and Sun Est Triangle Golf Club.
The marathon will feature three categories, five, 10 and 21 kilometres providing opportunities for both recreational runners and competitive athletes to participate.
The Sports Tourism Carnival is expected to add another dimension to Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe by bringing together sport, tourism and business while showcasing Masvingo as a destination capable of hosting diverse events.
The initiative is also in line with the Government’s broader strategy of using sport to diversify Zimbabwe’s tourism offering and stimulate economic activity across destinations.
Under the Tourism Recovery and Growth Plan, Zimbabwe has identified and clustered tourism products to streamline growth, with sport tourism emerging as one of the areas with significant potential.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) defines sports tourism as a type of tourism activity involving the travel experience of tourists who either observe sporting events as spectators or actively participate in them, generally involving commercial and non-commercial activities of a competitive nature.
The convergence of sport and tourism in Masvingo presents opportunities for hotels, restaurants, transport operators, retailers and other small businesses to benefit from increased visitor numbers during the expo period.
National Development Strategy 2 (NDS-2) is positioning sport as a powerful driver of tourism and economic growth.
Rather than treating sport as a stand-alone activity, the strategy links it directly to tourism, culture and infrastructure development, turning matches and tournaments into business opportunities for the country.
The staging of the Sports Tourism Carnival in Masvingo provides a practical platform for implementing this approach, while giving local communities and businesses an opportunity to participate in and benefit from the country’s flagship tourism showcase.
The 19th edition of Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe is scheduled for 9-12 September at the Gymkhana Events and Conference Centre in Masvingo and is expected to attract international buyers, exhibitors and other tourism stakeholders.
The inclusion of sporting activities in the build-up to the expo is expected to further broaden the city’s tourism appeal while positioning Masvingo as a destination for both leisure and event-based tourism.
