BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
President Mnangagwa has said the country’s tourism and hospitality industry is a critical cog to the national development agenda and ongoing journey to realise an inclusive and sustainable sector, which leaves no one and no place behind.
President Mnangagwa was speaking at the official opening of the first UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Africa, in the City of Victoria Falls on Friday.
Committee on Tourism and Competiveness (CTC) of UN Tourism, defines Gastronomy Tourism as a type of tourism activity which is characterised by the visitor’s experience linked with food and related products and activities, while travelling.
President Mnangagwa revealed that food often comprises about 30 percent of tourist expenditures, hence the industry creates local opportunities for jobs and community empowerment.
“Tourism is currently the third largest contributor to our country’s National Gross Domestic Product and one of the key economic growth factors having achieved a 34 percent increase in tourism arrivals, last year alone.
“Globally, a positive trend has been witnessed with tourism growth now exceeding 90 percent of its pre-COVID 19 pandemic levels.
“Regrettably, the African region has been contributing below 5 percent of global tourism performance.
“As such, the promotion of products such as Gastronomy Tourism and others like the “Brand Africa” initiative will undoubtedly go a long way to enhance Africa as an attractive and competitive destination, worldwide.
“I commend the UN Tourism and all stakeholders who continue to push the boundaries and reignite Africa’s tourism sector leveraging on the Continent’s unique natural and cultural offerings, including our foods and cuisines,” said President Mnangagwa.
He added that as we celebrate African Gastronomy Tourism in Zimbabwe, it was not just about honouring recipes and flavours.
“We pay homage to the wisdom of those who came before us, who understood the symbiotic relationship between food, well-being, the community and the environment.
“Their legacy lives on in our kitchens, where traditional dishes continue to nourish and unite us. Our traditional cuisines are more than mere meals but an expression of our identity, which is blended with the beauty of our landscapes and seasons.
“I trust that your palates will enjoy the experience and hope that you will embrace possible linkages to broaden Africa’s culinary portfolio.
“Given that a people’s cuisine are a manifestation of their culture; our continent’s unique cultural heritage, food and drink, therefore, offers immense opportunities for further expansion of the tourism sector.
“In our local Shona language, we say “hukama igasva hunozadziswa nekudya”.
“This saying encapsulates the importance of sharing food in building people to people relations in our African culture and tradition.
“By this fact, Gastronomy Tourism offers enormous potential to propel the growth of local, national and regional economies, while enhancing sustainability and inclusion towards the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals,” said President Mnangagwa.
He also revealed that for the country to fully benefit from Gastronomy Tourism, stakeholders in the sector should continually innovate by developing new products and services.
“Robust strategies should be implemented to scale up the promotion of gastronomy related tour packages, food festivals and cooking classes, among others, to make Africa an attractive gastronomy tourism destination.
“The internet continues to advance and is being utilised as a powerful tool for advertising and marketing, especially in the travel, tourism and hospitality sector.
“Riding on the wide use of ICT, we must see more people from the continent hosting food shows on contemporary media platforms to advance our unique cuisines.
“In the case of Zimbabwe, the Gastronomy Tourism has grown and remains anchored on grassroots initiatives.
“Recently, under the leadership of the First Lady, Dr Mnangagwa and her teams, in her capacity as the Patron of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Traditional Cookout Competitions were rolled out in our country’s provinces.
“These culminated in Regional Cookout Competitions and have seen some of the contestants developing marketable products for both the locally and international markets.
“Key lessons learnt include the fact that the traditional gastronomy cuisine goes beyond preparing food and attracting food enthusiasts.
“It is also a key driver for the transformation of economies, community empowerment and a catalyst for cultural branding for socio-economic benefits,” said the President.
He added that tourism was linked with many other systems, which are all important in the value chains of the local economy, hence the government had developed a cluster-based strategy, with Gastronomy Tourism being part of the Culture and Heritage Cluster.
“The Zimbabwe Gastronomy Tourism Strategy recognises value chains from suppliers of ingredients which includes local communities and farmers, as well as the processors and distributors, being airlines, hotels and restaurants.
“This further draws from the Farm to Market Concept.
“Central to gastronomy tourism is a thriving agriculture sector. It is, therefore, imperative that, as we grow this gastronomy tourism sub-sector, Africa must be a continent able to feed itself.
“Likewise, let us be proud of utilising our flora and fauna, for their rich herbal, medical and high nutritional benefits.
“In addition to the cluster-based strategy, Zimbabwe has embraced the Heritage-based Tourism philosophy, which focuses on the benefits arising from our unique environment, as well as traditions, culture and norms.
“Synergies among stakeholders in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, including with culinary experts and local communities, are being strengthened to identify and promote locally authentic dishes, traditional cooking methods and local ingredients,” he said.
President Mnangagwa added that: “work is underway in the design of policies meant to support and elevate our culinary artisans and small-scale farmers in the value chain.”
He further revealed that as we should look into the future, there was need to promote the heritage of the country’s cultural dishes by recognising their potential not only to sustain us, but to grow our economies for shared prosperity.
“By embracing Gastronomy Tourism, we are collectively making use of our history, resilience, and commitment to a sustainable and culturally rich future of the African continent and the World at large.”
The forum which started on Friday, ended on Sunday with several activities in the resort City of Victoria Falls.
