Story by Yolanda Moyo
ZIMBABWE and Malawi are exploring new avenues for cooperation after the 4th Joint Tourism Technical Committee (JTTC) meeting which ended in Bulawayo this Tuesday.
Discussions centred on aligning the tourism industry with the principles of sustainable tourism, which entails greening and climate-proofing.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Field of Tourism, which was signed in April 2015 has seen the two countries improving trade relations and investment in tourism as well as promote free movement of people and goods.
“We have registered, through this meeting, yet another set of important milestones of the Zimbabwe-Malawi JTTC. The JTTC discussions covered areas of tourism co-operation, including joint marketing and promotion, promotion of cultural heritage sites and sustainable handicraft production, classification and standardisation of tourism products and facilities, product development and diversification, sustainable tourism development, tourism investment and collaboration in training of tourism personnel, and capacity building programmes for our tourism sectors,” said Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Dr Takaruza Munyanyiwa.
“Malawi Director for National Parks and Wildlife, Mr Brighton Kumchedwa weighed in saying, “Malawi is so committed in making sure that tourism sector contributes to the economy. This MOU wouldn’t have come at a better time than now. Our government is putting high on its developmental agenda. As we go home, we are happy with the agreements that we had today.”
The respective heads of delegation underscored the importance of continuous engagement on matters of mutual interest, considering the substantial historical ties between Zimbabwe and Malawi.
The JTTC which comes before the Sanganani/Hlanganani tourism expo is a platform to share ideas to support and deepen tourism cooperation between Zimbabwe and Malawi.
