By Caroline Washaya-Moyo
MASVINGO — Zimbabwe is stepping up efforts to position itself as a competitive destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, with Government identifying the sector as an important driver of growth across the wider tourism value chain.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Dr Takaruza Munyanyiwa, said the MICE sector had significant potential to attract international business events while creating opportunities across tourism, hospitality, transport, technology, investment and professional services.
Dr Munyanyiwa was speaking during a MICE Masterclass held as part of the 19th Edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo in Masvingo, running under the theme, “Digital Agenda and Artificial Intelligence to Redesign Tourism.”
He said Government had adopted the clustering of the tourism industry as a deliberate strategy to promote specialisation, collaboration and competitiveness, with MICE tourism being identified as one of the key clusters.
“As the Ministry responsible for Tourism and Hospitality, we have recognised the need to clusterise the tourism industry as a deliberate approach to strengthening specialisation, collaboration and competitiveness across the sector,” said Dr Munyanyiwa.
He said the MICE cluster had the potential to bring together different players within the tourism value chain and unlock new opportunities for growth.
“MICE tourism presents a significant opportunity for Zimbabwe to position itself as a competitive destination for international meetings, conferences, exhibitions and business events,” he said.
Dr Munyanyiwa said Government would prioritise investment in world-class conferencing and tourism infrastructure, human capital development, digital and technological capabilities, destination accessibility and internationally recognised service standards.
He said the interventions would require stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to ensure that Zimbabwe is equipped to respond to the changing demands of modern business travellers and compete for a larger share of the global business events market.
“This Masterclass therefore comes at an opportune time. It provides an important platform for our tourism professionals and stakeholders to learn from experience, exchange ideas and strengthen their capacity to deliver world-class business events,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary also highlighted the growing influence of technology and innovation in the MICE industry, noting that digital platforms, artificial intelligence and data-driven solutions were changing how events are marketed, organised and experienced.
“As a country we must embrace these developments if we are to remain competitive,” he said.
Dr Munyanyiwa urged participants to use the Masterclass not only to gain knowledge, but also to establish partnerships and identify practical opportunities that could contribute to the growth of the MICE cluster and the wider tourism industry.
The push to strengthen MICE tourism comes at a time when Zimbabwe is seeking to expand its tourism offering beyond traditional leisure tourism, while increasing investment, business events and international tourist arrivals.
A stronger MICE sector is also expected to contribute to the broader objectives of the National Development Strategy 2 by stimulating investment, supporting employment, strengthening local businesses and positioning tourism as a key contributor to economic development.
Dr Munyanyiwa said the ultimate goal was to make Zimbabwe a destination of choice for business events in the region and beyond.
“Let us work together to make Zimbabwe a destination of choice for business events in the region and beyond,” he said.
