The Sunday News
Dickson Mangena, Business Reporter
BULAWAYO has been urged to take advantage of international events like the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair to showcase all other places and activities in and around the city.
ZITF Company’s board chairperson, Ms Ruth Ncube, said there are a number of tourist attractions that are under-marketed which have the potential to boost the status of the city.
“We cannot have people who visit Bulawayo say that there is nothing that is happening in Bulawayo when they come here.
Why should we keep them in hotels when we have a lot of tourist attractions here in Bulawayo,” said Ms Ncube.
She said there were many attractions in and around Bulawayo that are not properly marketed but hold so much potential.
“There is so much that Bulawayo can market to visitors. One of the under-utilised and potential crowd pullers is the house to the late Vice- President Dr Joshua Nkomo in Pelandaba.
“When people come to Bulawayo, show them what is in Bulawayo. It does not help to always cry when we know that in April every year we host a lot of people during the ZITF. Let us take advantage of such events and make people do something in Bulawayo. How many people know that Bulawayo has the second largest natural museum in Southern Africa,” Mrs Ncube said.
The city has been involved in plans to introduce township tourism, and the late Dr Joshua Nkomo’s house being the prime target.
At his house located in Pelandaba, Bulawayo, Dr Nkomo spent countless sleepless nights as his life was constantly under threat.
The Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Trust has been quoted in the media saying there were plans to turn the house into a museum.
Tourism in Bulawayo has rapidly declined in the past years, despite its proximity to several World Heritage sites, such as the Matobo National Park and Khami Ruins.
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