By Own Correspondent.
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – The late Belinda Tafadzwa Mutinhiri, a former Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) staffer who died in a car crash last month, has posthumously won the much coveted Africa Tourism Personality of the Year Award (2016), a press release by the tourism promotion body has said.
She was the ZTA marketing manager responsible for Africa at the occasion of her untimely death.
“According to the event organizers, the award ceremony will be held on 30 October 2016 during the AKWAABAS Africa Travel Market in Lagos Nigeria. The prestigious accolade is part of the Africa Travel Awards organized and promoted by ATQnews.com which is a member of Travel Media Group. The website is an online platform for African Travel Quarterly (ATQ), the first Travel magazine in West Africa which solely focuses on travel and tourism issues. It started publishing offline a decade ago,” the statement said.
The tourism body went on to bemoan the fact that Belinda will not enjoy the fruits of her hard work.
Adding: “The Africa Travel Awards 2016 is citing and acknowledging the late Belinda as one of the early promoters of Intra Africa Tourism who was chosen by voters from all over Africa. Indeed, it is very sad and unfortunate that she will never celebrate the fruits of her hard work.”
Award winners were chosen using online platforms by the public and a panel of tourism and travel professional experts: “Recipients of the awards were chosen in a two-part survey which includes the public and travel and tourism professional experts. The committee members nominated candidates and these nominees were then voted for by the public via an online platform. There were votes from all over Africa and beyond the continent including from as far as Russia, Norway, USA, and the Latin America. The majority of the votes came from Nigeria and Kenya.
Nominees with the highest scores were then ratified by the committee which is a Pan-African committee of travel professionals from different countries in Africa.”
Belinda worked as a Front Office Executive at the Landmark Hotel in London, Guest Relations Executive (One Aldwych Hotel London) and Customer Relations Officer (British Petroleum) before returning home where she joined ZTA in July 2006.
During her time at the ZTA, Belinda won the worker of the year award three times in succession which, according to the ZTA Chief Executive Karikoga Kaseke, was clear testimony of her commitment and dedication to work.
Kaseke weighed in: “If there was anything that distinguished and set Belinda apart from the rest in the organisation, it was her energy, cheerfulness and jovial mood attributes which are critical for a complete and wholesome destination marketer”.
ZTA head of corporate affairs remarked that the contribution made by their departed workmate will always be cherished.
“Indeed the contribution Belinda made to the tourism and hospitality sector shall always be cherished and we already miss our beloved colleague. May her dear soul rest in eternal peace.”
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