Zimbabwe is showcasing its rich cuisine at the ITB Berlin 2024! It is a great opportunity to share the country’s unique culinary traditions with the world.
Food is a key aspect of any tourism experience, and by sharing its delicious dishes with the world, Zimbabwe is sure to generate more interest and visitors through its gastronomy.
More than 800 participants queued at Zimbabwe stand for food and drink from Zimbabwe.
“A special mention to our First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Patron of Tourism Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, for starting the Gastronomy initiative in Zimbabwe in 2019. By promoting this initiative, Dr. Mnangagwa is not only promoting the country’s culinary heritage but also boosting Zimbabwe’s tourism and economic development,” said Hon Barbra Rwodzi, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry
The 2024 ITB Berlin, roared its life today at Messe Berlin in Germany. ITB Berlin is the world’s largest travel show, and it’s a great opportunity for countries to promote their tourism products and services.
Zimbabwe participated in the forum from the 5th to the 7th of March 2024. The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Zimbabwe Hon Barbara Rwodzi led the Zimbabwean delegation which comprised the Ministry officials, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, and 21 tour operators.
The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Zimbabwe was invited to speak on a panel discussion on, “Rethink Africa Investment Forum.” This is a forum where Ministers of Tourism shared ideas on sustainably growing tourism in Africa.
Zimbabwe created awareness and visibility of Zimbabwe as a destination of choice within the German market and beyond and to further negotiations with airlines to increase destination connectivity and to consolidate and nurture existing relationships as well as create new networks with travel and trade partners.
On the first day of ITB Berlin 2024, the Minister had an opportunity to meet with various German operators and writers where she encouraged the operators to place Zimbabwe tourism back in their magazines. This will help in reaching out to the German market which is one of Zimbabwe’s main overseas markets after the USA and the United Kingdom.
On the sidelines of the ITB Berlin 2024, Hon Rwodzi had an opportunity to meet with the Deputy Minister of Environment and Tourism of Namibia, Hon Heather to discuss areas of cooperation between the two countries. They also discussed key issues which include the development and marketing of the KAZA region, with a special focus on the KAZA visa.
Namibia mentioned that they were inspired by the work of the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe Her Excellency Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa in the Gastronomy Tourism Sector and they started implementing the idea in Namibia and as such they extended the invitation to the Minister and the team that leads Gastronomy Tourism initiative in Zimbabwe to the Namibia Cookouts Competitions in June 2024.
Both Namibia and Zimbabwe agreed to implement the cooperation framework through the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Zimbabwe pledged support for Namibia’s fair, and Namibia also committed to attend the Zimbabwe Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo.
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