SA keen on bringing township tourism to life
SOUTH AFRICA’S tour operators are keen on bringing township tourism in Zimbabwe to life through mutually beneficial synergies between the two countries.
This was revealed by buyer and representative of the South African Township and Village Tourism Association (SATOVITO) Mr Lusanda Fibi on the sidelines of the just ended Sanganai-Hlanganani World Tourism Expo yesterday.
Mr Fibi said SATOVITO was established to promote authentic, indigenous world standard tourism services and experiences.
He said the association was interested in developing the industry with local operators to develop and grow this part of the tourism sector.
“From what I have found during our tours across the country and possible destinations, Zimbabwe has a very viable and historical township tourism potential. I have heard of the rich history that townships like Makokoba, Mzilikazi, Mbare and Highfields have as part of the liberation struggle. Together we can turn this into a very popular tourist attraction. I know there are many South Africans who have an interest in the history of Zimbabwe. Many South Africans would love to see Dorothy
Masuka’s Zimbabwean home for example.”
Mr Fibi said with the amount of news surrounding Zimbabwe, South Africans are curious about the urban culture of Zimbabwe especially the western part of the country which is very much like South Africa. He said the cultural similarities between people in Zimbabwe and South Africa is an opportunity that the former could leverage and translate into visitors.
He also called for the promotion of village tourism as not just a tourist opportunity but a way to encourage cultural education and awareness. He argues that Africa needs to acknowledge and leverage its rich heritage like the rest of world while also educating visitors on cultural history.
“South Africa and Zimbabwe have similar cultures. There are locals in both countries who are related and as such we have locals across both sides of the border who are keen on learning about each other. We also have the rest of Africa wanting to learn about who came from where, as are visitors from all over the world,” he said.
Mr Fibi said this was a sector of the tourism industry that has the potential to become a multi-million dollar industry in addition to other sub-sectors such as gastronomy tourism, sports tourism and agricultural tourism to name but a few. –@RealSimbaJemwa