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    Mutoko to host World Tourism Day commemorations

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    MARONDERA- The popular Suswe Lodges in Mutoko district is set to hold this year’s main
    World Tourism Day celebrations which will run under the theme: “Tourism and Green
    Investments” towards the end of this month.
    The emphasis will be on investing in people, investing in the planet and investing in
    prosperity.
    The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Dr Mangaliso Ndlovu
    recently revealed that this at the launch of the tourism month in the capital where he stated
    that the celebrations will start with a Fun Run followed by the tour of the lodges that are
    green eco-tourism projects.
    Live exhibitions by youths and women and performances from several local artistes will
    punctuate the celebrations in line with the Second Republic’s mantra of empowering local
    communities.
    The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) set the 27 th of September as the
    World Tourism Day commemoration to create awareness amongst the international
    community on the socio-economic benefits derived from the travel and tourism sector
    together with its entire value chains.
    “Our Ministry then declared the month of September as a Tourism month to foster
    awareness on the critical role the tourism sector has in advancing the developmental agenda
    of the nation. The World Tourism Day has celebrations, as has become the tradition, are
    held in collaboration with provinces on a rotational basis. This tradition is in compliance with
    the Government’s thrust of leaving no one and no place behind in terms of tourism
    development and equitable distribution of tourism benefits to local communities,” Dr Ndlovu
    said.
    Globally, the performance of the travel and tourism sector has improved significantly during
    the period of 2022 to 2023 due to the resumption of travelling and tourism following the
    effective global measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Dr Ndlovu said this global trend has been witnessed in Zimbabwe with notable increases in
    tourist arrivals, receipts and investments.
    He said: “During the first half of 2023, the country has registered an increase of 62 percent
    international tourist arrivals from 366 062 in 2022 to 591 524 this year. The substantial rise in
    tourist arrivals is attributed to a number of factors, chief among them, the resumption of
    travel globally, enhanced measures to foster recovery and growth in the tourism sector and
    the enhanced accessibility to Zimbabwe on account of the introduction of new airlines flying
    into the country.

    “In addition, the confidence in destination Zimbabwe arising from the Government’s robust
    engagement and re-engagement efforts coupled with aggressive marketing strategies at
    regional and global levels resulted in destination endorsements by a number of international
    organisations, thereby positioning the country as a distinctive and most preferred
    destination. Additionally, more importantly has been the promotion of Zimbabwe as some
    meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions destination.”
    As a province, Mashonaland East Province is unique in its own right, as it is home to a
    number of places of interest such as Makurumure falls and Imire Game Park in Wedza,
    Nyatana Wildlife Conservancy in Mudzi, Gohori Resort in Mutoko, to name but a few.
    The Jerusalem Mbende dance, a masterpiece in Arts and Culture, originated from this
    Province and was proclaimed on the UNESCO list of Oral and Intangible Heritage.
    The province also has the potential to unlock religious tourism through religious shrines such
    as Bernard Muzeki in Marondera and Mutemwa Prayer and Leprosy Centre in Mutoko.
    Such resources must be incorporated into the country's Tourism Policy and grow the Gross
    Domestic Product (GDP) for the province.
    Chido Erengwi, the provincial arts manager for Mashonaland East said there is need to
    consolidate the gains that can be gained by the nation in culture tourism.
    She said: "We are plugging all gaps in the tourism sector and as a province, we are
    privileged and ready We have to up our game when it comes to culture tourism. We have
    diverse cultures as a province and the Jerusalem dance easily come to mind. There are also
    traditional foods that can be promoted."
    A few months ago, players in the tourism and hospitality industry in Mashonaland East had a
    chance to give their input into the review of the National Tourism Policy which will be
    realigned with the thrusts of the Second Republic, taking cognizance of the emerging and
    future trends in the sector.
    The country's tourism sector's blueprint – the National Tourism Recovery and Growth
    Strategy targets to attain a $5 billion tourism economy by 2025.

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