BY RUTENDO MATANHIKE
Tourism and Hospitality Industry acting minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu has urged the academia to identify gaps and provide solutions to advance the growth of the tourism sector.
Presenting at a tourism symposium at the University of Zimbabwe on Tuesday as part of World Tourism Day commemorations, Ndlovu said there was need for universities and similar institutions to conduct research which would advance the sector locally.
“In view of this, the sector cannot flourish without the support of universities and other stakeholders. Your support is, indeed, valued greatly. I urge universities to continue conducting researches and identifying the gaps as well as provide solutions for the growth of the tourism sector,” he said.
UZ vice-chancellor Paul Mapfumo said the tourism sector had the potential to create employment.
“Tourism has a potential contribution in the attainment of the national vision for Zimbabwe to become an upper middle-income economy by 2030 through job creation and foreign currency generation,” he said.
“Tourism has come in different facets. People go for industrial, medical and other different forms of tourism, including the academic and that establishes that we need to think in different ways on how we can harness the industry of commerce.”
The objective of the symposium was to showcase the importance of tourism to the development of the world and Zimbabwe in particular and encourage entrepreneurship through tapping on opportunities in the tourism sector.
