Opinion & Columnist

ZimBho: The fad of our time

Isdore Guvamombe

In Kariba, water is worthy benevolent mistress, kissing the sky with all the love of nature and providing the much-needed life, comfort and business.

Where the land meets the water, in swash and backwash, silky white coves hem in the azure bays, overlooked by a chain of wild jungle-draped rolling hillocks and mountains.

It is from the peaks that wild animals streak to the lake-shore to quench their thirst, bath and feed on the lush green vegetation. From the shaggy water buck to the nimble-footed duiker, the spindle-legged impala to the boisterous jumbo and sluggish hippo, the lake is a source of life.

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Scenes at the launch of ZimBho campaign in Kariba last week

From leafy suburbs and sprouting settlements dotted around the shoreline to the rest of Zimbabwe and beyond, Kariba has become a tourist resort of repute and a source of fish. It is an attraction of repute.

It is not surprising that the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe chose Kariba to launch the ZimBho campaign, a crusade that will change the lifestyle of many Zimbabweans through promotion of domestic tourism.

Several dignitaries among them, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa and Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Mary Mliswa-Chikoka, among others, gave befitting depth, credence, colour and glamour to the launch.  Indeed, they proved Zimbabwe is Bho. Zimbabwe is good.

Zimbabweans deserve to enjoy their country and indeed the country is good, too , too good to ignore

Since the advent of Covid-19, international travel has been severely affected and so is the tourism and hospitality industry.

The ZimBho campaign is set to change the lifestyle of many people, as it opens floodgates for all Zimbabweans to tour and enjoy their country.

Under the ZimBho campaign, the Government has removed VAT on all local tourists to enable the industry to reduce prices.

ZimBho, means Zimbabwe is good or Zimbabwe is nice so visit any part of the country.

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ZimBho is also a fashion statement. It encourages Zimbabweans to dress smartly and nicely in all available plumage and colours.

Visiting Zimbabwe’s vast array of tourism facilities is a life changing experience. Now that tourism and by and large remained the preserve of foreigners and a few privileged locals, the narrative has been destroyed by ZimBho, because it seeks to create an environment for every Zimbabwean to visit and enjoy the country.

We have a good country, we have pristine wildlife, we have good people, we have historical sites and ancient cities, we have our water bodies and many other attractions that we should enjoy before foreigner enjoy them.

Like the setting of the launch in Kariba, Zimbabwe has everything. If you love nature the Eastern Highlands and its craggy environment are your place.

If you love water and related antics, Kariba, Victoria Falls, Chivero and Darwendale, among others give you that unforgettable experience.  So, visit. ZimBho!

If you love remote places and wildlife, 13 percent of the country’s land is under national parks and there, wildlife is teeming in abundance. These include Hwange, Gonarezhou, Chizarira, Mana Pools, Chewore, Ngezi and Matopos, among others.

If you love adrenaline stuff, the Victoria Falls and Mutarazi Falls are you places and so are more than 20 water falls, dotted around our country.

Nature’s exhaustless generosity has bestowed upon Zimbabwe all these attractions that we should enjoy.

The country is ours and we should enjoy. ZimBho has brought smiles and taken the country by storm.

Many Zimbabweans have already started embracing and enjoying the ZimBho. ZimBho is meant to bring gross national happiness as it manifests itself through song and dance and visiting tourist attractions at lower prices.

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To that end, the Government is already working with the tourism and hospitality industry to facility that as many Zimbabweans as possible get a chance to visit the multifarious array of tourist attractions in the country.

The idea is to create a situation where every Zimbabwean is at least able to visit one of two tourist resort per year. Zimbabweans deserve to enjoy their country and indeed the country is good, too , too good to ignore.

Zimbabweans should embrace ZimBho because Zimbabwe is Bho!

HERALD