50 Spanish professionals to become Vic-Falls tourism ambassadors
VICTORIA Falls is the biggest beneficiary of the visit by 50 Spanish professionals drawn from different fields who are set to become the resort town’s tourism ambassadors and humanitarian advocates in their home country.
This will also boost domestic and cultural tourism in Victoria Falls as the expatriates have partnered Help Vic Falls 2020 campaign to renovate and decorate old bars and Old People’s Home in Chinotimba.
They are also constructing two houses for two vulnerable families in Chinotimba’s Kinshasa section among other humanitarian activities.
They comprise experts in finance, health, firefighters, engineers, photographers, artists and others and arrived in Victoria Falls a fortnight ago where they have been holding seminars with informal traders and pupils capacitating them on financial literacy and business management.
The visit is voluntary as they sponsored themselves to learn about local people’s culture, natural environment beauty, as well as appreciate the effects of Covid-19 on the local community for them to be able to help market the country and help fundraise in partnership with Help VicFalls 2020.
While earlier reports had indicated that the group was sent by the Reserve Bank of Spanish, it has since emerged that two of the 50 professionals who were leading the financial literacy seminars are employed by the bank but the visit was a private humanitarian initiative.
Spain is one of Zimbabwe’s main tourism source markets and has been one of the countries that have been donating to the local community during the lockdown and the visit is one of the initiatives to enhance livelihoods in the country’s prime destination city.
The group visited Hwange National Park where they said they enjoyed the beauty of the country and its tourism potential. A Victoria Falls-based Spanish couple Mr Jose Luis Regot and his wife Maria who operate Lola’s Restaurant, which was also affected by the global pandemic, facilitated the exchange visit through the Help VicFalls 2020 campaign in partnership with the Victoria Falls City Council.
“Help VicFalls 2020 is a registered Trust in Zimbabwe and a branch of Africa Crece Spanish Foundation and started operations in May last year receiving donations from Spain, Holland, Zimbabwe, Germany, France, and Italy. On this frame, we and our Spanish volunteers organised a solidarity trip to Victoria Falls and 50 professionals from different fields came with two objectives,” he said.
“This is to create 50 ambassadors to spread into Spain the Victoria Falls situation and to promote donation to assist vulnerable families and to participate directly in our programmes such as popular kitchens in Chinotimba and Mkhosana.
“They travelled at their expense without any exterior support with the intention to know Victoria Falls’ situation so as to mobilise help for the local community through the Help VicFalls 2020 campaign. We appreciate the support of local authorities and people to achieve our main goal which is to create 50 ambassadors,” said Mr Regot.
He said the professionals’ initiative is to empower women and youth through seminars while refurbishing Old Bar in Chinotimba to create an attractive environment and promote domestic tourism to the resort city’s oldest suburb.
A musician who is also part of the group has been training local artists on how to make musical instruments using recycled waste matter, which can also attract tourists.chroncel.cl.zw
