Permanent Secretary in the Minister of State Presidential Affairs Office, Mrs Madambi highlighted that Mbare is under the 100 Day Cycle Priority Projects.
“The visit by the Minister assesses the approach to government's 100 Day Cycle and is an opportunity for project implementers to share success stories which are being celebrated both in and outside,” says Mrs Madambi.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Acting Chief Executive Mr Givemore Chidzidzi shares that the Authority is intensifying its focus on sustainable tourism through inclusive participation of local communities and urban environments.
Township tours have become popular with tourists since they provide more enjoyable experiences through meaningful interactions with local people which results in a greater understanding of local culture, social and environmental issues.
Realizing the huge impact which cultural and heritage tourism has in transforming lives, ZTA embarked on a project to intensify sustainable tourism through the establishment of Mbare township tours in Harare. The Mbare project is meant to increase community participation within the mainstream tourism thereby creating value out of existing products and impacting positively on the livelihoods in Zimbabwe`s urban communities.
The Mbare Township Tour comprises of storylines that have been developed for each of the landmarks and the full tour takes about five and half hours on foot.
Major landmarks in the Mbare Township Trail include Harare Arts Centre Pioneer Graves, Chili Spot, Baskets Weaving, Vegetable Market, Craft Market, Cannon Paterson, Mai Musodzi Hall, Chinembiri Crafts, Beatrice Cottage, Stodart Hall among others.
Work still needs to be done through stakeholder collaborative efforts for signage of Mbare Township and existing tourism landmarks, cleanliness, safety of visitors and accessibility to some tourism landmarks, sprucing up of roads and building infrastructures.
