US$100m pumped into tourism sector
Government has pumped over US$100 million into tourism over the past two years, with the sector now on course to recover from the effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Officially opening the virtual edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo yesterday, the acting Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Jenfan Muswere said despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism sector remained optimistic of recovery and confident as a destination.
“We have accelerated our preparations for a full comeback of the sector.
“We have witnessed significant investment into the sector driven by the private sector and the Government.
“To date, over US$100 million has gone into the refurbishment of tourism facilities and there are new products that have been launched over the past two years,” he said.
Minister Muswere said the Government had availed resources to ensure accessibility of tourism products was made easy through the refurbishment and expansion of ports of entry points such as the Beitbridge Border Post, Kazungula Border Post and the Robert Mugabe International Airport.
“In addition, all our major roads leading to key tourism destinations and facilities have been placed on the priority list of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme.
“Government will continue looking at ways of incentivising the sector in order to capacitate the industry,” he said.
Minister Muswere said the Ministry was on a drive to ensure that local communities benefited from mainstream tourism.
“We are currently identifying and marketing lesser-known tourism products. Zimbabwe is a country full of amazing tourist attractions such as the Tsindi Ruins, Makurumure Falls, Old Bulawayo, Paradise Pools, Malilangwe etc.
“Some are ready to be visited while others need further development and there are opportunities that both local and international investors can pursue,” he said.
“Initiatives such as the CAMPFIRE will continue to receive support from central Government as they not only serve interests in mainstream tourism, but in conservation. “Our solution to conservation and human and wildlife conflict lies in very significant roles played by our communities.”
Minister Muswere said the past two years had been by far the most difficult for the Zimbabwean tourism landscape and the entire global community was not spared.
“With the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, we witnessed a significant drop in tourist arrivals for the year 2020 where we received 639 356 arrivals down from 2,3 million in 2019.
“Although the 2021 statistics are still very low, we would like to appreciate all the travellers who have been visiting our destination during the pandemic,” he said.
Minister Muswere said there had been a positive and steady inflow of visitor traffic from varioussource markets, particularly the Americas.
“When we were hit by the pandemic, like any destination, we had to strategise on how to keep this vital and usually vibrant sector alive. Collectively with the industry, we crafted a National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy, which was launched by President Mnangagwa in August 2020.
“I would like to thank the Zimbabwean tourism sector for embracing our National Tourism and Growth Strategy as witnessed by their full support for the domestic tourism campaign dubbed the “ZimBho #iZimYami Campaign,” he said.
Minister Muswere said the country had already begun gradually opening the economy, including initiating efforts to re-start the tourism sector.
“Our tourism capital is now accessible through air and via land borders. As we open up the tourism sector, of paramount importance to us is ensuring that lives are preserved, hence the strong emphasis on strict adherence to the World Health Organisation (WHO) regulations by all,” he said.-The Herald
