Nqobile Bhebhe [email protected]
GOVERNMENT, through Mosi-oa-Tunya Development Company, is set to play a major role in the construction of a new smart city for conferencing at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) grounds in Bulawayo, a development expected to strengthen the city’s business tourism prospects.
The project is part of plans to transform the ZITF facility into a modern conferencing destination, positioning Bulawayo to attract more international meetings, business events and investment-related gatherings.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi revealed the plans during a Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo on Wednesday indicating the Government’s commitment to developing conferencing infrastructure as part of efforts to grow the tourism sector.
She said her ministry, through Mosi-oa-Tunya Development Company, would play a significant role in the construction of the new smart city for conferencing.
“Of course, our ministry through Mosi-oa-Tunya Development Company will play a big role in the construction of the new smart city for conferencing that will be constructed here,” said Minister Rwodzi.
The proposed development is expected to enhance Bulawayo’s capacity to host major conferences and business events, creating opportunities for the hospitality industry and other businesses that support tourism.
Conferencing tourism is an important component of destination development, as business travellers generate demand for accommodation, restaurants, transport services, retail and other hospitality-related activities.
The ZITF grounds, which host the country’s premier trade exhibition, provide a strategic location for the proposed development, given Bulawayo’s established position as a commercial and industrial centre.
Minister Rwodzi said the project was already under discussion, with stakeholders working together to advance the conferencing facility.
“If you look at the notebooks that are on your counters, if you look at them, at the top there is even a new name, probably, that you may not have seen.
“This is the new conferencing facility that is coming here at the ZITF and we are discussing together and helping each other.”
The development comes as the Government seeks to strengthen tourism infrastructure and broaden the sector’s contribution to economic growth.
A modern conferencing facility could help Bulawayo attract more corporate gatherings, professional meetings, exhibitions and international events, complementing the existing ZITF exhibition platform.
Such events have the potential to increase visitor arrivals, extend hotel occupancy beyond traditional tourism peaks and create new business opportunities for local service providers.
Minister Rwodzi expressed confidence that the proposed development would significantly change the ZITF facility over the coming years.
“So if you talk about Bulawayo, Bulawayo is on the cards, and i am sure in two years we shall see a totally different ZITT facility right here where we are.”
The proposed smart conferencing city is expected to complement broader efforts to position Bulawayo as a destination for business tourism and investment, leveraging the city’s strategic location, industrial base and established conference and exhibition platform.
The involvement of Mosi-oa-Tunya Development Company also show the Government’s approach of using development-focused institutions to support tourism infrastructure expansion.
The project is expected to contribute to the modernisation of the ZITF grounds, with potential benefits extending to businesses across the city and the wider Matabeleland region.
