Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, [email protected]
THE Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry has reported a strong influx of visitors at its Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) exhibition stand with Deputy Minister Tongai Mnangagwa saying the ministry is using the platform to promote diversified tourism clusters, including emerging segments such as sports tourism, gastronomy and heritage tourism.
Speaking during a tour of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority stand on Saturday, Deputy Minister Mnangagwa said the response from visitors has been higher compared to previous editions, reflecting growing interest in Zimbabwe’s tourism offerings.
“We are having a great time here and we are having a lot of visitors, more and more than last time.”
He said the ministry deliberately designed its exhibition space to showcase different tourism clusters in order to educate the public and international visitors on the breadth of Zimbabwe’s tourism sector.
“The way we designed our stand, we are celebrating the different clusters that we have put in tourism. People are asking, what is sports tourism? People don’t know that when a team moves from one place to another, they are touring, and that’s tourism.
“They are going to look for somewhere to sleep, transport and food. So all that is tourism.”
Deputy Minister Mnangagwa said the clustering approach is meant to demonstrate how different economic activities feed into the broader tourism value chain, which includes accommodation, transport, food services and cultural experiences.
“So what we have done deliberately is to cluster our tourism and have every cluster, every team working on it, like culture and heritage, that’s another thing. It’s gastronomy.”
He noted the importance of promoting Zimbabwe’s local cuisine as part of the country’s tourism identity, noting the role being played by the First Lady, First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa in advancing gastronomy tourism.
“Our food, where the First Lady is promoting our local cuisine, we are also pushing to have people travel to Zimbabwe to enjoy our food and our heritage.”
The Deputy Minister also underscored the value of cultural and heritage tourism, saying every nation has a unique identity that can be packaged to attract international visitors.
“Each and every nation on earth has got their own heritage from God. So what’s important as a country is to package that heritage and invite other nationalities to come and experience it. Hence this whole design we have done here.”
He said Zimbabwe is also promoting rural tourism experiences, where visitors are encouraged to explore traditional lifestyles and environments as part of an authentic travel experience.
“We are bringing the rural aspects, where someone who comes from France and they want to go into a rural setup in Zimbabwe. So this is what we are working towards, a cluster of tourism and pushing on every front.”
The Ministry’s exhibition at ZITF has attracted significant attention, with stakeholders and visitors engaging on various tourism segments as government continues to position the sector as a key driver of economic growth and international engagement.
