By Nyasha Mutena
Harare, Zimbabwe (News Of The South) – The 343 Chinese business and leisure tourists will jet in this afternoon after touring Djibouti and Tanzania marking a milestone in the history of tourism in Zimbabwe.
Addressing a packed conference meeting at the Rainbow Towers yesterday, the Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Hon Priscah Mupfumira said she was elated to be witnessing this special event in the history of tourism.
“This mega visit is very special in the history of tourism between Zimbabwe and China as we have not received such a big group before.
“We are ready and committed to do everything possible to make the stay of our visitors with us memorable one,” she said.
Hon Mupfumira said the this initiative has the potential to attract over 10 000 visitors from the Tour Africa-New Horizon tourism project that will run for the next 5 years adding that with the support from Touch-road and the Government of the People’s Republic of China it was beyond the shadow of doubt that the grand goal of increasing tourism arrivals will be achieved much earlier than 2025.
Hon Mupfumira said that the Ministry’s cooperation with Touch-road International Holdings Group is already bearing fruits and this is evidenced by the increase of tourist traffic from a modest 14 407 arrivals in 2017 to a whooping 19 428 in 2018.
“We are happy to note that our cooperation with Touch-road International Holdings Group has contributed to the growth of our Tourism as arrivals in Zimbabwe have shown great increase, from a modest 14 407 arrivals in 2017 to 19 428 in 2018.
The grand group is expected to tour the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Great Zimbabwe National Monument, Harare, the iconic majestic Victoria Falls, The Mythical Kariba, the mighty Zambezi and the Eastern Highlands.
Furthermore, Hon Mupfumira said there is going to be a Zim- China Business Forum that we definitely believe will ignite two-way business interest. She also said within the same vein of intensifying Zimbabwe’s presence within its Chinese market, they are working on opening a new Zimbabwe Tourist Office in Shanghai-China very soon which will give an active representation in this important market for a mutual benefit.
This grand initiative was birthed on the 6th of April 2018 when the Ministry of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and Touch-road International Holdings Group entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to facilitate investment and tourism promotion between Zimbabwe and China.
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