Great Zimbabwe Monuments: ideal for domestic tourism

BY STEVE EPHRAEM

TRAVELLING from one’s place to another in order to satisfy a desire, especially leisure or fun can be the primary motive for tourism. Then, when a desire for fun is enhanced with education, this becomes a unique package. This is what Great Zimbabwe Monuments does to a visitor.

Great Zimbabwe Monuments is a heritage site that was declared a world heritage site 1986. It is an ornament that unpacks the ancient life and power of the ancient Mutapa Kingdom that ruled from the 14^th to the 17^th centuries. It gives an insight of how the kingdom was set up in terms of trade, agriculture, politics and religion.

On September 8, a group of media practitioners were treated with a visit of the heritage site, courtesy of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority as a pre-Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo tour.

Speaking to the media crew, tour guide Champion Ndigunei indicated that the Great Zimbabwe package is also ideal for domestic tourism.

“For local Zimbabweans, they should know that this is their heritage. All schools from pre-school up to universities should come up here to learn more about the heritage of the country. I want nearly every Zimbabwean to come here to see the monuments and not to be told about them,” he said.

From the historical monuments, the media has a chance to visit Lake Mtirikwi, the country’s second largest inland water body. The lake offers tourism fishing, skiing, boating, game viewing and yachting to tourists. It is interesting to note that a hydro power generation project is underway at Lake Mtirikwi. When complete, it shall generate 5MW which is sufficient to feed Masvingo Town.