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Patrick Chitumba Senior Reporter
Officials from the European Council on Tourism and Trade (ECTT) are in Zimbabwe to present the country with two awards for being the best tourism destination and the world’s most attractive destination in 2014.President of the council, Professor Anton Caragea, who is leading a five-member delegation, yesterday endorsed the country as one of the world’s best tourist destinations.
“Zimbabwe is one of the most beautiful regions in the world, with a rich culture and history, a true world treasure, and without doubt, one of the most impressive areas in Africa, hence the unanimous decision to present the European awards,” he said in Victoria Falls.
Prof Caragea and his team are in the country to hand over two awards to President Mugabe in Harare on Wednesday.
He said Zimbabwe was tops out of 27 countries from around the world becoming the first country in Africa to be awarded such an honour.
“This is an endorsement from EU that Zimbabwe is ready for investment. It is an endorsement from EU that we are fully behind this destination and we want to see its economy improve,” he said.
Prof Caragea said the award also represented the ECTT’s desire for future co-operation with Zimbabwe.
“We are proud to be associated with your efforts in 2014 to enable the Republic of Zimbabwe to achieve greater appreciation and support from the international tourism community,” he said. “I am sure that we will have many more opportunities to cooperate after these awards for our mutual interest and benefit.”
Prof Caragea said Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi will become a member of the academic committee of the European Tourism Academy.
“On the occasion of our visit to Harare we will also appoint Minister Mzembi an academic member of the European Tourism Academy in recognition of his personal efforts and actions in promoting the Republic of Zimbabwe’s tourism industry,” he said.
The delegation arrived in the country on Thursday night and was received by senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
Minister Mzembi had a meeting with them on Friday. The visitors are also expected to pay a courtesy call on Vice-President Cde Joice Mujuru and meet six Cabinet ministers before presenting the awards to President Mugabe.
Prof Caragea said they were also looking at business opportunities in the country. His team took time to visit hotels in Victoria Falls where they talked to management on potential business opportunities. He said previous award winners like Trinidad and Tobago had seen an upsurge in tourist arrivals.
After years of travel warnings by key EU countries like Germany and Britain against Zimbabwe, the bloc has lately embraced the country as a safe tourist destination. The warnings were issued in the context of the EU’s illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe.
The awards that Prof Caragea’s organisation would present to President Mugabe come as the EU appears to want to ease its sanctions on Zimbabwe. On Friday, the EU head of delegation to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Aldo Dell’Ariccia praised the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the country.
He said that positive statements by President Mugabe for re-engagement and his clarification of the course of implementation of the indigenisation and economic empowerment drive could influence the EU to scrap its illegal economic sanctions in November with personal restrictive measures on top Zanu-PF officials going three months later.
Ambassador Dell ’Ariccia said: “We are waiting for November for the decision of the council and the decisions will depend on the evolution of the situation in Zimbabwe. For the moment we are receiving many positive messages, the declaration by President Mugabe and the declaration from Minister Chinamasa about indigenisation are very encouraging but all this has to be translated into complete Acts.”
In Harare on Friday, the EU team toured the National Heroes Acre and ex-Reserve Bank Governor Dr Gideon Gono’s New Donnington Farm in Norton.
Other members of the delegation are director of the European Tourism Academy Mircea Constantinescu, ECTT director for hospitality and amenities Loan Matei, Romanian senator Lonel Agrigoroaiei and chairman of the trade committee Mihai Prundianu.
Jonathan Hudson, the general manager at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge said they were happy to be associated with the future growth of the tourism sector.
“We are happy they are here and we are happy they want to know about investment opportunities in the country,” he said.
Clement Mukwasi of the Zambezi Helicopter Company said that the endorsement of the country by ECTT as a world destination of 2014 was going to usher in a new era of tourist arrivals in the country.
“The award is coming months after we successfully hosted the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly. To us as a destination it is a clear indication that we have a brighter future. We are looking at an increased number in terms of arrivals from the EU,” he said.
ECTT was established in 2006 as a non-profit organisation. Its membership is derived from tourism organisations in the EU.
derick.khumalo