Ministry proposes independent ZTF board

TOURISM and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi said the ministry wants the Zimbabwe Tourism Fund (ZTF) to have its own board that will manage the fund which is meant to be accessed by players in the sector that want to fund new investments.

The ZTF, which at the moment is administered by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), is a revolving fund financed through levies paid by players in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Speaking during the Tourism Bill Amendment consultation workshop in Bulawayo on Wednesday, Minister Rwodzi said there is a need to change the way the fund is administered hence the proposal for it to have its own board of directors.

“We have been wrong, ZTF according to the law is supposed to be an institution on its own, which has its own board members and management but at the moment is being administered by ZTA. We are therefore proposing the establishment of a fund run by a separate board and management,” she said.

Minister Rwodzi said this has been necessitated by the need to pool financial resources for tourism promotion and development. ZTF comes from the two percent levy that tourists pay.

Minister Rwodzi urged players in the sector to improve compliance in terms of remitting levies to enable Government to fund infrastructure development which then improves service delivery.

“This money is not yours but is paid by tourists to the Government of Zimbabwe so that we use it to improve our infrastructure,” said Minister Rwodzi. —

-chroncile