By Samkeliso Ncube
Nyami Nyami Festival brought Kariba to a standstill on Saturday as people from all walks of life converged at the Lake Harvest Harbour for an event expected to anchor efforts to revive tourism in the resort town.
The festival had been put on hold because of a poor financial resource base as sponsorship seeking efforts increasingly futile. However, after realizing the need to revive tourist activity in Kariba through MICE tourism, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and media conglomerate Zimpapers through Nyaminyami FM partnered to bring bring the much celebrated festival.
“The thrust of festivals is to generate or grow the local economy through attracting inward investment, new businesses or expenditure and increased tourist arrivals. For instance, we expect revelers to come from outside Kariba and the neighbouring Zambia thus, everyone in the tourism value chain stands to benefit,” Said the ZTA Acting Chief Executive, Mr. Givemore Chidzidzi.
Festivals boost the local economy, they have the potential to bring in the seasonal, geographic and demographic spread of tourism.
The Nyaminyami Festival can usher in new economic development opportunities for Kariba as a tourism destination as the local stakeholders seek to revive the tourism giant.