Mutoko to host World Tourism Day commemorations

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.