Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi joins players and supporters in rallying their teams during the final matches of the the Sports Tourism Carnival at Mucheke Stadium, Masvingo. /pics Kennedy Madzianike
By Dickson Bandera
The city of Masvingo has been transformed into a hive of sporting, tourism and cultural activity this September, as athletes, teams, officials, tourists and visitors converge on the ancient city, placing sports tourism at the centre of Zimbabwe’s broader drive to showcase destinations beyond traditional attractions.
The activity comes as Zimbabwe prepares to host the 19th Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Travel Expo, with Masvingo using a packed September tourism calendar to demonstrate how sport can be integrated with heritage, gastronomy, entertainment and business tourism.
The Sports Tourism Carnival, which began on September 1 and runs through today, has brought together competitors in basketball, tennis, football, netball, cricket, volleyball and rugby at venues including Mucheke Stadium, Masvingo Sports Club, Sun East, Kyle College and Masvingo Government Primary School.
Today marks the climax of the sporting programme, with finals in basketball, football, volleyball, netball and rugby, followed by the Sports Tourism Awards Ceremony at Mucheke Stadium.
The carnival follows last year’s edition in Manicaland, with the shift to Masvingo providing continuity in Zimbabwe’s strategy of taking major tourism and sporting activities to different provinces and using events to unlock local tourism economies.
For Masvingo, the opportunity is particularly significant given its position as the home of the iconic Great Zimbabwe National Monument.
The arrival of athletes, teams, officials, spectators and other visitors creates a ready market for the province’s accommodation facilities, restaurants, transport operators, retailers, entertainment providers and other tourism businesses, while also exposing visitors to its heritage and wider tourism products.
The intention is to ensure that the sporting influx does not end when the final whistle is blown, but instead sows the seeds for longer-term tourism demand, investment and economic activity.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi recently said 392 exhibitors had registered for the 19th Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo, just eight short of the 400 target, while 133 international buyers had confirmed participation — representing a 49.4 percent increase from last year.
The figures point to growing international interest in Zimbabwe’s tourism offering and provide a wider backdrop to Masvingo’s efforts to position itself as a destination capable of hosting and benefiting from major events.
The sporting programme now feeds into another major tourism event on September 5, when the Sanganai Half Marathon will be held from 5.30am to 9am, followed by the Sanganai Gastronomy and Music Festival from 11am to 6pm.
The combination of sport, food and music is expected to give visitors additional reasons to remain in Masvingo and experience the city beyond the sporting venues.
The programme will then build towards the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Travel Expo from September 9 to 12, featuring tourism masterclasses, a Tourism Boards CEOs Roundtable, business days, a Tourism Investment Forum and a public day.
The packed calendar places Masvingo at the heart of a broader tourism strategy in which sport is being used as a gateway to other economic and tourism opportunities.
Rather than treating sporting competitions as isolated events, the province is being presented with an opportunity to package them alongside heritage, hospitality, gastronomy, music and investment — creating a more comprehensive tourism experience.
The transition from last year’s Sports Tourism Carnival in Manicaland to this year’s edition in Masvingo therefore represents more than a change of venue.
It demonstrates a province-to-province tourism model in which major events move across Zimbabwe, spreading visitor expenditure, business opportunities and destination exposure while encouraging communities to develop and promote their own tourism products.
For Masvingo, the challenge will be to convert the September influx into repeat visits and sustained tourism activity.
With Great Zimbabwe as its flagship attraction and sport, gastronomy, music and business tourism adding new dimensions to the destination, the province is seeking to prove that its tourism story extends well beyond its ancient ruins.
As the final whistle sounds on today’s sporting competitions, the bigger tourism programme is only beginning.
