ZIMBABWEANS have been challenged to embrace their role as ambassadors of local tourist destinations to promote domestic and international tourism in the country.
The sentiments were shared by senior tour guide Champion Ndigunei, while speaking to journalists visiting the Great Zimbabwe Monuments.
Local journalists are currently on a media tour in Masvingo province organised by the Tourism and Hospitality Industry ministry in partnership with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
The tour comes just days ahead of the Sanganai/Hlanganani Tourism Expo set for the ZITF Grounds in Bulawayo from September 12 to 14 this year.
Ndingunei said locals were better positioned to market a place as they have a personal appreciation of it.
“The residents in our communities are the true custodians of our culture, heritage and natural beauty.
“No one can tell our story better than us, the people who live it every day. In all my 20 years of experience working with tourists, I have come to a conclusion that we are the ambassadors of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“Whenever I talk to tourists telling them about the history of the Great Zimbabwe, I also get to learn what they also knew about the ancient city and debunk misconceptions about it.”
He said locals can share and exchange their experiences with other people from various places.
“You will find that for some people, it will be like coming home. An example is the Venda people of South African.
“They have the same ancestry as the people of Great Zimbabwe. Mapungubgwe Kingdom in South Africa preceded Great Zimbabwe, so you can even tell the similarities in language,” he said.
The Great Zimbabwe Monuments have over the years attracted thousands of visitors, leaving them in awe of the impressive heights of construction and advanced engineering evidenced by the iconic infrastructure.
