AT least 12 police officers from Mashonaland West province will cycle 554 kilometres from Kadoma to Kariba over six days in preparation for the launch of the police tourism unit in the province ahead of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly.

Half of the officers will cycle from Munyati Bridge, Battlefields in Kadoma from August 20, 2012 before passing on the baton to another six officers who will cover the remainder of the journey.
The event is aimed at raising awareness of the existence of the unit to thwart any threat to tourists in the province.
Completion of the distance will culminate in the launch of the unit on August 26 at Mahombekombe Stadium before a handover of facilities to be used as the provincial head office at Bumi Hills.

Addressing journalists at a Press briefing yesterday, Officer Commanding Police in Mashonaland West Province Senior Assistant Commissioner Rangarirai Mushaurwa said the police was committed to providing the highest quality service to all visitors to the province.
“Once the tourism sector is effectively policed, there will be an influx of visitors or tourists in the country thus promoting foreign currency inflows,” she said.

“The unit is being set up with the assistance of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and will have stations at Chinhoyi Caves, Mana Pools, Chirundu, Kariba and Bumi Hills resort areas in the province. Its aim, she said, is to prevent crimes targeting tourists in the province through maintaining visibility and is also calculated to reinvigorate the police before the UNWTO General Assembly next year which she said was a historical event for the country.

Meanwhile, domestic tourism is poised to grow this year following affordable packages that the hospitality industry has put in place to attract local people, a tourism promotion official has said.

Many Zimbabweans fail to visit local tourist attractions as a result of poor salaries that                    do not allow them to save for leisure excursions.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority head of public relations, events and protocol Mr Sugar Chagonda said stakeholders in the tourism industry had come up with affordable packages for local tourists.

“We are expecting that domestic tourism will boost this year as the industry now offers affordable packages that can cater for the lowly paid,” he said.
Mr Chagonda said domestic tourism had been increasing since the beginning of this year. “There is already an increase in hosting conferences and school trips to local tourist destinations,” he said.

He said ZTA was crafting a strategy to stimulate domestic tourism that it expected to be in place by the end of this year.
“Very soon we will be taking the domestic tourism strategy to stakeholders so that they add their input,” he said.

ZTA anticipates a positive outlook for 2012 as tourist arrivals are expected to rise ahead of the UNTWO General Assembly which the country will co-host with Zambia. — Herald Reporter-New Ziana.