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Chronicle Writer

THE promotion of domestic Tourism by the Second Republic has gone a long way in busting illegal sanctions imposed by Western countries after Zimbabwe implemented the land reform programme at the turn of the millennium.

Today, the country commemorates the fifth anniversary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Anti-Sanctions Day, with President Mnangagwa set to headline the event as chairperson of the regional bloc.

This year’s event is running under the theme “Embracing Innovation towards Vision 2030: The Relentless Fight against Illegal Sanctions”.

Despite the illegal sanctions, the country has recorded significant milestones in various sectors including tourism.

President Mnangagwa, as he presented the State of the Nation Address in Harare early this month, said tourism arrivals continue on an upward trajectory, recording growth higher than the same period last year.

One of the key players in the tourism sector in Bulawayo, Mr Tonderai Rice, said tourism is a vital economic enabler not only for Zimbabwe but any country in the world as it generates revenue and creates jobs for locals.

“Sanctions, therefore, affect the sector in many ways because there is the aspect of the negative profiling of destination Zimbabwe by hostile nations that leads to the restriction of movement, discouragement of investment in the sector,” said Mr Rice.

“There is also an issue of limitations in terms of sourcing equipment and technology that will also have a negative impact on the sector.”

However, Mr Rice said instead of cowering to the punitive embargo, Zimbabwe has shown remarkable resilience through a number of sanction-busting measures.

“While sanctions are hurtful to our economy, we must not resign to fate but fight for our country to survive.

The Government has, in that vein, come up with a number of strategies, among them the promotion of domestic tourism which resonates with our line of business,” said Mr Rice.

“You may recall that the President has, in a number of occasions, emphasised the need for Zimbabweans to take an active role towards building our country as encapsulated in his ‘Nyika Inovakwa Nevene Vayo/Ilizwe Lakhiwa Ngabanikazi Balo’ philosophy.

“We are also contributing in our small way to promote domestic tourism to boost the economy and insulate our country from the effects of sanctions. Zimbabwe is our only home and cannot be allowed to die.”

Mr Rice reiterated that the ruling party has also contributed to the growth of domestic tourism.

“The ruling party has also taken a lead in the promotion of small hospitality players in the industry like us. As we speak, the ongoing Zanu-PF (Annual National People’s) conference in Bulawayo has brought brisk business to the city. All our establishments are fully booked, thanks to the conference,” said Mr Rice who runs Harris Lodges

“We are hosting more than 4  000 people in the city and that has helped boost our business. “I have mentioned before that the move to decentralise the holding of key national events, thanks to our leadership, has also gone a long way in promoting business in the hospitality sector.”