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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry has officially launched the tourism month festivities with emphasis on the need for the sector to embrace inclusivity towards business revival.

Today marks the start of September, the tourism month, when the annual World Tourism Day is celebrated on September 27 under the auspices of the World Tourism Organisation.

Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, who was accompanied by his Ministry Permanent Secretary Mr Munesushe Munodawafa, acting Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive Mr Givemore Chidzidzi, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority regional manager for north west Matabeleland Mr Samson Chibaya and other stakeholders, launched the tourism month in style with a press conference inside the Victoria Falls Rainforest on Saturday.

This was the same place where President Mnangagwa launched the National Tourism and Growth Recovery Strategy last year. While every citizen has been called upon to do something towards promoting tourism in the country as part of the tourism month activities, the main national celebrations will be held at Paradise Pools Resort
in Bindura, Mashonaland Central province under the theme: “Tourism for inclusive growth.”

Minister Ndlovu said this year’s celebrations come at a time when globally the tourism industry has been hard hit by the covid-19 pandemic, which literally brought the travel and tourism sector to a halt and putting millions of jobs at risk.

He said global tourism arrivals fell from 1,5 billion in 2019 to 381 million in 2020 while arrivals into Africa declined from 70 million in 2019 to 18 million in 2020. Zimbabwe registered a 74 percent decline in tourism arrivals receiving 605 000 tourists against 2,3 million received in 2018.

“The celebrations are meant to bring awareness of the socio-economic benefits derived globally through the travel and tourism sector and its value chains,” he said.

“The importance of the tourism sector in Zimbabwe cannot be overemphasized as it is recognised as a key economic pillar for the revival and growth of the Zimbabwean economy, as underscored in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
“The decline persisted in 2021 with only 143 000 arrivals, which is a 72 percent decline from the 520 000 received in the same period in 2020.

“We, however, look forward to a change in fortunes in the third quarter of the year and beyond based on the strides made in the global vaccination campaign and our own efforts to make Zimbabwe a safe travel destination, ” said Minister Ndlovu.

He said the success of the vaccination programme campaign launched by President Mnangagwa has begun to show positive results.

This has been demonstrated in Victoria Falls where the community and tourism industry, in particular, has fully embraced the vaccination agenda with herd immunity in over 77 percent of all adults.

Minister Ndlovu commended tourism players for their resilience and mobilising frontline workers to vaccinate. He said at 90 percent, Victoria Falls and tourism are arguably the widely vaccinated city and sector in the country. This is important in giving confidence to our visitors, said the Minister.

“I encourage all Zimbabweans to come forward and get vaccinated so that we can attain herd immunity at national level to enable full resumption of all economic activities,” he said.
“Indeed, inclusive growth is central to the target set-out in NDS1 hence this year’s celebrations present us with an opportunity to reaffirm the need to grow our tourism inclusively without leaving anyone behind.

“I call upon the tourism industry in its entirety to use this year’s celebrations to showcase the various ways that their tourism businesses can and have promoted inclusive growth and changed the livelihoods of the communities that they are involved with.

“As team tourism we are focused on rolling out initiatives aimed at creating jobs at provincial, district and village levels hence we call on all stakeholders to join, ” said Minister Ndlovu.

As business demonstrates commitment to industrial growth, the Government seeks to ensure that the principle of inclusive growth informs decision making at the highest political, business and community levels at all times.

During a recent tourism summit in Kenya the ministers responsible for tourism in Africa acknowledged that the tourism pandemic has exposed the importance of domestic and regional tourism. There is a projected travel by 700 million young affluent adults in Africa in the next five years hence domestic and intra Africa travel will take centre stage, as international tourism fully recovers. As such, the minister said the local tourism sector could take advantage of this potential.

He said the Government took this year’s celebrations to Bindura to show the importance of Campfire, with focus on how best the tourism economy can be grown in the province and other areas where the product is not yet fully developed.

A number of activities including a symposium at Great Zimbabwe University on September 9, and awards for innovation in the sector among others.

Minister Ndlovu urged all stakeholders to use the month to foster inclusive growth, harness community participation, and ensure involvement of women youth and disabled in tourism.

This includes employment creation, supply chain linkages, partnerships and business integrations that demonstrate the power of tourism to change lives. The demise of international tourism showed the need for investing in domestic tourism and calls have been made for packages that are affordable to locals.

The Government is also addressing the issue of access to local tourism destinations through roads and airports rehabilitation.

-@ncubeleon