Masvingo is set to feature sport as a powerful tourism and economic-development tool when the city hosts the four-day September Sports Tourism Carnival from 1 to 4 September, ahead of the 19th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo.
The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Hon Barbara Rwodzi Thursday 27 August led a delegation on a tour of the main expo venue and other key facilities to assess the preparations.
The carnival, featuring 11 sporting disciplines, is expected to bring athletics enthusiasts and visitors into the city while creating opportunities for businesses across the tourism value chain.
Football, basketball, golf, cricket, netball, boxing, volleyball, rugby, pool, tennis and marathon events will form part of the programme, turning sporting venues across Masvingo into platforms for destination promotion and visitor engagement. There will be a marathon which will include 5km, 10km and 21km categories, widening participation beyond professional athletes.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority says the initiative is designed to demonstrate that sport can do more than provide entertainment or competition. It can motivate people to travel, generate expenditure and expose visitors to destinations and tourism products they might otherwise overlook.
ZTA chief executive Dr George Manyaya has emphasised that the benefits of sports tourism should extend beyond sporting venues, with travelling supporters expected to spend on transport, food, accommodation, crafts and other services while interacting with local communities.
The strategy is consistent with the broader Government approach of linking sport with tourism, culture and infrastructure development under the National Development Strategy 2.
For Masvingo, the timing provides an opportunity to build momentum before the main Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo, which runs from 9 to 12 September at the Gymkhana Events and Conference Centre.
The sports carnival will also help demonstrate the province’s capacity to host event-based tourism, complementing its established heritage attractions.
The city is home to Great Zimbabwe, the country’s iconic archaeological monument and a major international heritage attraction. The Great Zimbabwe Visitor Centre is scheduled to host the welcome cocktail for international tourism players attending the expo, creating an early opportunity to connect visitors with the province’s heritage offering.
The sports programme will be followed by a Street Carnival on 5 September, adding music, gastronomy and cultural experiences to the tourism calendar before the main exhibition.
This sequencing is deliberate, instead of concentrating visitor activity around the four-day trade exhibition, the hosts are creating a wider tourism journey that encourages visitors to arrive earlier, stay longer and spend across a broader range of businesses.
Recent preparations indicate growing interest in the Masvingo showcase, with 129 international buyers and 44 local buyers registered at the time of the latest provincial preparations, while a target 9f about 450 exhibitors is being expected.
The infrastructure program is also expected to strengthen the long-term impact of the event. Work at the Gymkhana Tourism Park is reported to be almost complete, with the facility set to include a restaurant, bar, gastronomy hub, ZTA offices and a mini-stadium. A conference centre is planned as a future development, further strengthening Masvingo’s potential as a MICE and events destination.
Refurbishment of the Masvingo Airport and improvements to roads and the expo site are similarly expected to improve accessibility and visitor handling capacity.
Minister Rwodzi, said that the devolved Sanganai model is intended to stimulate tourism infrastructure, investment and economic opportunities outside traditional tourism centres.
At the sites tour the minister was accompanied by deputy minister Tongai Mnangagwa, permanent secretary Dr Takaruza Munyanyiwa, ZTA chief executive Dr George Manyaya and other stakeholders during the preparations.
For Masvingo, therefore, the September Sports Tourism Carnival represents an effort to prove that sporting events can become catalysts for tourism demand, community enterprise, destination visibility and economic activity.
As the city counts down to Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe, Masvingo is betting that the movement of people around sport can translate into movement of money through the wider tourism economy.
