Malawi, Zimbabwe in joint tourism implementation plan

Malawi and Zimbabwe last week held the first joint tourism technical committee (JTTC) meeting to develop an implementation plan for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2015.

Speaking at the meeting in Lilongwe, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism Principal Secretary Cliff Chiunda said the implementation plan will help to further cement relations between the two countries.

“It is my expectation that the implementation plan is simple, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound so that at the end, we can see a difference in our engagement,” he said.

In her remarks, Zimbabwe Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Hospitality Industry Thokozile Chitepo said the MoU will be used as a tool for tourism development and poverty alleviation.

“With the advent of strategic alliances in planning and forecasting, destinations no longer need to compete than complementing each other.

“To build on the vibrant and multi-faceted partnership between our two countries, it is important that we leverage our common strategic interests, further enhance connectivity and economic engagement and promote people-to-people contacts,” he said.

The two countries have since resolved to establish a joint marketing destination committee by September 2017, undertake continuous research and exchange of information on product development policies, involve local communities in mainstream tourism activities, develop a twinning programme for tourism and hospitality training institutions and share information on ease of doing business reforms, among others.

The two parties also underlined the need to work towards full implementation of the MoU to demonstrate their determination towards strengthening reliable, transparent and competitive tourism industries. n