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THE Zimbabwe Dubai Tourism Infrastructure and Finance Conference kicks-off here today with high-level engagements expected to enhance increased investments and tourism arrivals from the oil rich country and the entire Gulf region.

Dubbed “Visit Zimbabwe – Tourism Conference and Exhibition”, the programme is one of the key highlights of the Zimbabwe Expo 2020 Dubai presence, which is being facilitated by the Government since October last year, and feeds into the broader international re-engagement drive.

The Middle East remains a lucrative and untapped market for Zimbabwe presenting great potential to bring high value to the different sectors of tourism.

Key players in the Zimbabwe tourism sector arrived here yesterday led by Deputy Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Barbara Rwodzi, and would engage representatives from the wider Middle East market between today and tomorrow.

They will be joined by Zimbabwean Ambassador to UAE, Lovemore Mazemo, and Zimbabwe Expo Dubai Pavilion Commissioner General, Ambassador Mary Mubi.

“We arrived yesterday (Thursday) in Dubai and today (yesterday) we have visited our

Visitors flock the Zimbabwe pavilion

country’s pavillion here. I am very impressed with the preparations that have been done and as you can see there are many people coming to our stand,” said Deputy Minister Rwodzi.

“Tomorrow (today) we are having our tourism conference and we expect a number of people to come. We hope to sell out Zimbabwe tourism products very well and to increase the number of our tourists and have an influx of investments towards various industries, be it in tourism, mining, agriculture and others. We expect to have critical and strategic visitors coming to this conference so that we have conversations around investments and of course as the tourism ministry, we expect many tourists to be coming and hear what it is about our country.”

Deputy Minister Rwodzi said Zimbabwe was targeting the Middle East market for strategic national interests as Zimbabwe works on transforming its economy towards an upper middle income economy by 2030.

“The world is moving and evolving and the UAE population is growing across the world and we don’t want to be left behind,” she said.

“So, we are inviting them in their numbers to also visit Zimbabwe. And further, we have good bilateral relations with Dubai and the whole of the Middle East. 

“We expect that to feature in our conference and to cement our relations, and of course ultimately, to increase investments into our country.”

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) acting chief executive, Mr Givemore Chidzidzi, had earlier described the event as the beginning of an exciting journey for the tourism sector as it signals the re-opening of re-engagements with key source markets after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The past few years have seen Zimbabwe gaining access into this market as witnessed by the introduction of flights by two of the main airlines from the Middle East namely Emirates and Qatar. 

Mr Chidzidzi said access was key in tourism development and growth, hence the two airlines have changed the aviation landscape in Zimbabwe.

Visitors enjoy traditional music

“As we position destination Zimbabwe for recovery after the ravaging impact of Covid-19 to our sector, we appreciate the confidence that the two airlines have bestowed on our destination,” said Mr Chidzidzi. 

“We are optimistic that our collective approach as a sector will soon yield the much-desired results and we will be able to still attain our US$5 billion tourism economy by 2025.”