Independence, ZITF to boost Bulawayo economy
TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) says Bulawayo is set to reverberate as it hosts today’s Independence Day Celebrations and the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) later this month.
ZTA head of corporate affairs, Godfrey Koti said the events will go a long way in reviving the city’s economy.
Recently, the government officially launched the Zimbabwe Tourism Satellite Account system, which will assist the country in measuring the contribution of the tourism sector to the national economy.
“This is a great move for tourism as it will definitely assist us in getting the numbers into the Bulawayo Metropolitan. We are definitely looking forward to an improved and increased level of business.
” We are looking at an increased level of awareness for the destination and its surrounding facilities that are designed for tourism. We are hopeful that this will assist us in terms of asserting how solid our sector is in terms of service provision. We just went there a couple of weeks ago, ” Koti said.
For the first time, the main independence day celebrations will be held Barboufields Stadium in Bulawayo.
The tourism industry has been adversely affected by the deadly Covid-19 pandemic since 2020 due to lockdown restrictions, red listing and travel bans.
These have resulted in loss of about 9 000 jobs in the sector as well as closure of 37 facilities.
In a recent post-Cabinet media briefing, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said: “A total of US$133.2m was invested in Public-Private Partnership tourism-related construction projects while Old Bulawayo is being reconstructed.”
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