VICE President Kembo Mohadi yesterday said Zimbabwe is a safe and secure tourism and investment destination, endowed with unique resources across all sectors of the economy. He said this in his keynote address at the Zimbabwe-China Business Forum in Harare yesterday.

“Zimbabwe is just a gem, an awakening giant, a safe and secure tourism and investment destination,” said Mohadi.

“I would like to take this opportunity to reassure the Chinese delegates that Zimbabwe has unique resources across sectors and as Zimbabweans, we are of high intellect, resilient, and have a great work ethic only identical to us.

“These unique attributes point to our resourcefulness and thus a sure guarantee of our economic growth potential and a significant return to your investment.”

Mohadi said the Zimbabwe China Business Forum was an opportunity to “establish strategic alliances and partnerships for our economic revival”.

“It is, therefore, prudent that each business representative here present, applies themselves fully in today’s interface for this purpose.

“Our meeting today (yesterday) is sure proof that indeed tourism cuts across sectors and is a precursor to investment. I would like to applaud the Chinese business delegates for believing in us by responding to our call for investment,” said Mohadi.

He said the Chinese business people have not only immersed themselves in the wonders of destination Zimbabwe, but have also come with “keen interest” to explore possibilities of strategic alliances, partnerships and business opportunities, given their composition.

Mohadi said the expressions of interest by the Chinese businesspeople was a “true reflection” that tourism is a critical sector of the country’s economy and if strategically managed, could result in ripple effects across other sectors, resulting in growth of the overall national income.

He added that the business forum would go a long way in promoting investments across all sectors of the economy, as Government pushes for the attainment of an Upper Middle Income economy by 2030.

Mohadi praised the strategic partnership between Zimbabwe and Touchroad International Holdings, a Chinese travel and tourism company that brought a 343-member Chinese delegation into the country on Thursday.

He said the partnership with Touchroad, which will bring about 300 Chinese tourists monthly, has come at the “right time for us to increase our market presence and destination visibility in the Chinese market”.