The military plays a critical role in the development of the tourism industry by ensuring peace and stability in the country, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi has said. Addressing officers attending the Joint and Staff Course Number 25 at the Staff College in Harare yesterday, Minister Mzembi dismissed the notion that the military had no role to play in the hospitality industry.

Without peace, Minister Mzembi said, the hospitality industry will not thrive.He said political problems that plagued  North Africa which hitherto dominated African tourism had caused a downward shift towards the southern region.

“The notion that the military has nothing to do with tourism is not true. They (military) are a critical success factor to the tourism industry because they guarantee peace. We may have the best people in the country, but if they are in bad taste there is no tourism,” he said.

“Instability signalled by events in North Africa especially in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya has basically led to a downshift towards the south. We are really benefiting from that shift but it is because of men and women here who maintain peace and stability in the country.”

Minister Mzembi said his ministry was grateful that Zimbabwe had a vibrant military establishment that had managed to maintain peace and stability.

With an array of tourist attractions, Minister Mzembi said Zimbabwe had the potential to boost its economy through tourism.

He said travel and tourism was one of the world’s leading industries representing a major source of Gross Domestic Product, employment, exports and taxes.

The minister said the country was projected to be the second fastest growing travel and tourism economy after China for the period 2010-2020 with an annual growth rate of 8, 7 percent.

Minister Mzembi projected that the country’s tourism sector will rake in US$5 billion by 2015.

“For now, I have set the ministry a target of 5 million arrivals per year, earning annual revenue of $5 billion by 2015, when we hope to contribute 15 percent of the national GDP,” he said.

On the ongoing indigenisation and economic empowerment programme, Minister Mzembi urged Government to also establish Community Share Ownership Trusts in the tourism sector.

Said Minister Mzembi: “Zimbabwe is setting up the very commendable Community Share Ownership Trusts in the mining and corporate sectors. The ministry will encourage the setting up of similar trusts in those tourism sub-sectors where this is appropriate, but I must point out that to a large extent the whole sector is one giant community share ownership scheme.”