The Sunday News
ZIMBABWE is set to bid to be the host of the 2015 Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (Retosa) Youth Conference.
The bid is in line with the new National Tourism Policy which has a focus on Mice (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions) tourism.Retosa co-ordinator in Zimbabwe Ms Catherine Masunda said Zimbabwe would take advantage of this year’s Retosa Youth Conference to lobby for the 2015 conference.
“We are sending the youth as ambassadors to showcase, market and network with other Sadc countries so that they can boost our tourism sector. Zimbabwe’s hosting of the 2015 Retosa Youth Conference can be achievable through Government support of the youth to participate on this coming conference,” she said. Retosa is a Southern African Development Community (Sadc) institution responsible for tourism growth and development.
In part, the aims of Retosa are to increase tourist arrivals to the region through sustainable development initiatives, improved regional competitiveness, and effective destination marketing.
This year’s edition will be held in Mauritius under the theme “Sustainable Tourism Development: Tourism and Development in the Community”.
Youth will be participating in different areas including presenting project proposals focused on tourism in their countries.
“All the youth are encouraged to submit their projects which are tourism focused and hould create employment, be sustainable and tourism orientated so that other stakeholders will believe our country is a safe destination,” she said.
The meeting is aimed at boosting entrepreneurship development through networking and discussion programmes.
Retosa works together with member states’ tourism ministries, tourism boards and private sector partners to increase tourist arrivals to the region through sustainable development initiatives, improved regional competitiveness, and effective destination marketing. — BH24.
