Story by Memory Chamisa
ZIMBABWE is participating at the 11th edition of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) in Harbin, China, alongside 30 other countries across five continents to discuss innovation-led tourism growth.
Leading the Zimbabwean delegation is the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Barbara Rwodzi, who has been invited as Guest of Honour at the forum that runs until this Thursday.
During a panel discussion held on Tuesday, Honourable Rwodzi spoke on Zimbabwe’s tourism clusters, including the Heritage-Based Tourism Strategy, which places communities at the centre of tourism development as custodians of the Nation’s culture, heritage, flora and fauna.
Running under the theme: “New Quality Productive Forces, Powering the Global Tourism Economy,” the Forum is focusing on innovation, openness, and pragmatic cooperation in promoting cross-border development.
The Minister also cast the spotlight on one of the country’s flagship clusters on Rural and Gastronomy Tourism that continues to transform and has developed industrialisation of rural communities, enabled job creation and sustained livelihoods through an integrated farm to market value chain that supplies locally-produced food to hotels, restaurants and airlines.
Honourable Rwodzi spoke on how this has seen Zimbabwe hosting some of the most prestigious UN Tourism events, including the Tourism Gastronomy Forum that was made possible through the efforts of the Patron of Tourism, the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Minister Rwodzi further highlighted Zimbabwe’s focus on expanding its footprint in the Chinese tourism market as it looks forward to a smart, green, connected and sustainable global tourism economy.
