Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe in Masvingo
TOURISM and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi has expressed satisfaction with the quality and diversity of food on offer at the Gastronomy Hub at the ongoing Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo in Masvingo, as Government pushes to ensure tourism spending filters down to local businesses.
Minister Rwodzi toured the hub today, accompanied by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Deputy Minister Tongai Mnangagwa, Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) officials.
The delegation interacted with traders and sampled various dishes, with the more than 25-stall hub providing a direct marketplace for local culinary enterprises and institutions.
The hub brings together a diverse mix of participants, including tertiary institutions, religious organisations and hotels, creating opportunities for them to sell their products, build customer networks and gain exposure to domestic and international visitors.
Beyond showcasing Zimbabwe’s culinary heritage, the platform is helping demonstrate how tourism can generate income across the wider local economy through food production, preparation, hospitality and related services.
For small traders and emerging enterprises, increased visitor traffic provides an opportunity to convert the international and domestic exposure generated by Sanganai into actual sales and longer-term business relationships.
The participation of tertiary institutions also creates commercial and skills-development opportunities for students, while hotels can use the platform to market their culinary offerings to potential customers.
The growing emphasis on gastronomy tourism is therefore helping broaden the economic footprint of tourism, ensuring that visitor spending extends beyond accommodation and traditional attractions to local food businesses and communities.
Sanganai provides an important platform for linking these enterprises with buyers and visitors, strengthening the role of tourism as a driver of local economic development.
