(HERALD) Zimbabwe can’t be ignored — Mzembi
Zimbabwe can’t be ignored — MzembiZIMBABWE was recently readmitted into the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, the equivalent of the World Health Organisation, after years of excommunication due to non-payment of subscription fees. The Government, through the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, immediately went into overdrive to promote, rebrand, repackage, rebuild and market Zimbabwe as a safe tourist destination and investment hub, ahead of the 2010 World Cup soccer finals, slated for South Africa. Our Features Editor, ISDORE GUVAMOMBE (IG), interviewed Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi (WM) on these and other issues.
IG: You have been Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry for a year now. How has it been?
WM: Hectic. It has been very eventful. In fact, we are very grateful to his Excellency the President, Cde Mugabe, for his vision in creating a stand-alone Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, whose portfolio was given to me. His example was immediately followed by South Africa, which has also established a full Ministry of Tourism.
We have manoeuvred through this Ministry and ZTA, enabling us to pay our subscriptions to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. We won a seat in the executive committee of the UNWTO after campaigning quietly and are now using our position to influence events from there.
Actually, I am yet to see any ministry, since the inception of the inclusive Government that has achieved what we have achieved.
IG: Which other achievements have you made?
WM: Numerous. ZTA chief executive Karikoga Kaseke was elected first vice president of the African Tourism Marketing Initiative.
We feel flattered and honoured for Kaseke. I think it was long overdue for a man who has worked so hard for tourism.
On three occasions we have brought to Zimbabwe, the UNWTO assistant secretary-general and advisor to the secretary- general, Professor Jeofry Lipman, to the country and struck a training deal for our industry. The three visits affirm our presence. They are feeling us.
No one can ignore Zimbabwe now.
IG: What else have you achieved within the year?
WM: We have successfully hosted the Africa investor, Pan African Investment Conference, where we scooped three awards.
Zimbabwe won The Best Upcoming African Tourist Destination, African Sun won the Best Hotel Investment Award and Phillip Chiyangwa the Best Tourism Investment Award.
IG: Besides the awards what did Zimbabwe benefit from hosting this conference?
WM: Yes, we clinched US$2 billion worth of investment deals that are now being pursued by the industry.
We also used the conference to dispel misconceptions about the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act and the process. We told them our sector is not affected; it is already compliant, so there are no problems there.
IG: Can you explain your main thrust for the year?
WM: Those who have been following events in the ministry and ZTA might have noticed that last year was the year for re-engagement. We attended 30 international expositions and exhibitions to make a statement for ourselves and what we stand for. We got our voting rights back from UNWTO.
IG: What is this year for?
WM: This year is the year of investment. This is why we started the year with an investment conference that clinched US$2 billion worth of investment deals.
We have come up with a tourism masterplan that must culminate in every province having a structure like the Harare International Conference Centre. We are decentralising, devolving to give the provinces ownership and input. We are going to establish provincial tourism boards, provincial offices and provincial leaders that complement each other.
IG: You have said much about the local scene. What are you going to do on the international scene this year?
WM: Budget permitting, we want to increase our presence on the international source markets. At the inception of the inclusive Government, we were facing travel warnings, the embargoes, but we have managed to negotiate our way out of it. Today, sanctions remain our major problem. Other tourism industries get funding from the ACPU, Continuo Agreement, Section 23, but we are not.
IG: What about the latest extensions of sanctions?
WM: Well, the two pronouncements, one by the EU and another by America, are tantamount to travel warnings or travel bans. They discourage the visitor. But like what President Mugabe said, we should ignore them and move on as if nothing happened. We are very clear that all major pillars of economic development are under siege. The diamonds are under siege, farming is under siege, tourism is under siege because the sanctions are sending negative signals. Even in the region, we tend to get indifference from our neighbours because they fear collateral damage.
IG: Tell us about the 2010 World Cup finals. Many people think there is nothing for Zimbabwe to gain except the media hype.
WM: The World Cup is an African event hosted by South Africa on our behalf. Around 450 000 tourists are expected in South Africa and as Zimbabwe we want to bring 30 percent to Zimbabwe in a spillover effect. If we do that, we are home and dry.
IG: What is there for the ordinary people of Zimbabwe?
WM: Zimbabwe is not among the 32 teams participating in the finals. What we have to deal with is connectivity. . . issues about how to connect our people to this mega event, physically or otherwise.
Physically, we have to ensure that the luxury buses are there to ferry fans, we have to equip Air Zimbabwe and we also have to open the skies for other players to make transportation easy to match venues. Air Zimbabwe, for instance, must repackage its routes and say we now have Harare-Masvingo/Buffalo Range-Polokwane, because there will be matches there.
For most of our people who will not be able to go and watch the matches physically, we have fan parks or fan clubs that will be put in every suburb and other strategic areas for our fans to meet and watch matches.
I have two companies that have pledged to put 10 viewing points each and more are still coming.
What we are working on right now is standardisation and formalisation because we need to look at the law in terms of how many people can gather at one place. We also have to look on health issues, ventilation, sanitation and so forth. In short, we need to do the right things for our people.
IG: Where is the money for all these things coming from?
WM: We have applied for US$25 million from the Ministry of Finance, but there has been bureaucratic bungling when my Permanent Secretary got in touch with his counterpart in Finance. I am now personally engaging the minister so that at least something comes out of it. We need our own financial base before we ask from others. South Africa has spent 34 billion rand, but they started with their own 17 billion rand before getting money from others.
We are also imploring the private sector to move and do things. We want to lure teams to camp in Zimbabwe for training.
IG: But we are told no team is going to camp in Zimbabwe for the World Cup finals since South Africa has taken in all teams.
WM: No. The Fifa rules are that no team is allowed to camp outside the host 10 days before the tournament kicks off. That means in the last 10 days before the tournament, all teams must be resident in the host country. For Zimbabwe, we want teams to camp here for training before they eventually zero in on South Africa.
IG: But we don’t have any team coming . . .
WM: We have one already in the pocket, but I am not at liberty to disclose for reasons of keeping our detractors out of play.
We have two or three others we are closely negotiating with. To us it does not make sense for an African team like Ghana to go and acclimatise in Europe and not in the Sadc region that is close to South Africa. It defies logic.
IG: There seems to be a departure from the previous African vision of sharing the proceeds of the soccer finals as envisaged by former president Thabo Mbeki in his bid to host. What exactly is happening?
WM: For one reason or the other, we get such signals from our neighbour, but we have talked over it. We need to re-market the concept the South African Minister of Tourism to come to Zimbabwe, to Victoria Falls, precisely to market this destination together with the World Cup.
Outside the soccer matches, the Victoria Falls is one of the major attractions, together with the Table Mountains of South Africa, the Kalahari sands of Namibia. So we want to package regionally. Zimbabwe has 14 million people, but when marketed with the Sadc, it becomes a big game of numbers. Regional packaging should be our strength.
Victoria Falls is a must visit. Victoria Falls must be to each tourist, what Mecca is to the Moslems, a must visit.
IG: As Minister of Tourism, where do you want to take this industry to and how?
WM: We have played our part and we cannot be ignored as a tourist destination.
That I sit on the UNWTO executive board, within a year of our re-admission, means we are doing very well. The world now recognises our presence. I want Zimbabwe to think big, to have a vision beyond our current lifespan and generation.
We must reposition ourselves to host World Cup 2034, when it again comes to Africa. We must start working on it now. We must see beyond our lifetime.
Let us look at building false beaches, buying aircraft, building stadiums and so on. We will be there. We are on our way to the Promised Land.
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Labels: TOURISM, WALTER MUZEMBI, WALTER MZEMBI
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