Hon Barbara Rwodzi
By Kudakwashe Dzanyaza
A highly powered Zimbabwean delegation is set to attend the 44th edition of the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) in Madrid, Spain, from the 24th to the 28th of this month.
The Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry will lead the delegation that will include six tour operators who will be exhibiting at the fair.
The five-day Expo is running under the theme, “Accessible and Sustainable Tourism”.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Honourable Barbara Rwodzi said Zimbabwe aims to invest in the Spanish market and has appointed a Tourism Attache to service that region.
“Zimbabwe is determined to invest in the Spanish market which has great potential to increase revenue from visitations to Zimbabwe. In line with this, Zimbabwe has appointed a Tourism Attache who is based in France to further destination presence and promotion within the Spanish and Portuguese markets.
“We want to position and profile Zimbabwe as a destination of choice for the Spanish Market as well as the European market at large. We also want to conduct bilateral meetings with the UNWTO to seek support for our Tourism projects. The essence to note is that we have expressed interest in having a Tourism Academy,” she said.
Minister Rwodzi revealed that Zimbabwe had submitted a bid to house the UNWTO Tourism Academy at Victoria Falls.
“It is a programme that the UNWTO is spearheading in different regions of the continents and we have applied that we can have one for the southern region in Africa at Victoria Falls. We also intend to host the first-ever Africa Gastronomy Conference as we have done a lot of work around Gastronomy spearheaded by our Patron the First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa,” said Minister Rwodzi.
The International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) presents an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss the year’s priority areas and provide an ideal setting for the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) to share its preliminary assessment of international tourism for this year.