News / Africa
Zimbabwean wins Regional Junior Tourism Minister Title
24 Apr 2015 at 20:32hrs | Views
18 year old Zimbabwean Zibusiso Mtunzi from John Tallach High School in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe won the JUNIOR Tourism Minister title after beating 5 other contestants in a tough regional essay and presentation competition held at Lady Sushil Ramgoolam Centre in Mauritius. Junior Minister Zibusiso Mthunzi will be deputised by 13 year old Kgalalelo Morapedi from Masa Primary School, Gaborone, Botswana.
In addition to the title, Zibusiso Mtunzi won a lap top and a trophy, while his deputy Kgalalelo Morapedi walked away with a trophy and a tablet. Six other contestants also got mobile phones as consolation prizes courtesy of Kwela fleet Management.
The Youth in Tourism essay competition ran under the theme "Promoting sustainable tourism development through the involvement and participation of the youth. The essay competition was held concurrently with Southern Africa Youth in Tourism Conference running from 23 to 24 April 2015 in Mauritius. The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Retired Brigadier General Honourable Walter E. Kanhanga from Zimbabwe is the guest of Honour.
The essay competition organised by the Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA) seeks to empower the youth through involvement and participation on various tourism platforms. Running for the second year, the inaugural Youth in Tourism Essay Competition was held in Namibia in 2013. Taloshili Olavi Hangula scooped the title which he has handed over to the new office bearer.
This year, the essay finalists were from Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe out of many entries from the 15 SADC member states who submitted essays for the competition. In an interview after the competition, Junior Minister Zibisiso Mthunzi shared these sentiments, "It is with great honour to have been selected as the 2015 Junior Tourism Minister in Southern Africa. I must admit that the competition was stiff and this title did not come on a silver platter. However, I hope to effectively engage the youth in the region to come up with initiatives that would promote sustainable tourism which will in turn significantly transform the livelihoods of people in Southern Africa.
Addressing the delegates during inauguration of new Junior Tourism Minister, the Acting Executive Director of RETOSA, Mr Simba Mandinyenya said "As the organisers, our main objective is to begin to effectively engage and involve young people from an early age and make them aware of the tourism resources and opportunities available in the sector and how these can be exploited sustainably. With respect to this objective, RETOSA is very happy and excited with the outcome of the Southern Africa Junior Tourism Minister event. The contestants were very knowledgeable and showed a lot of passion. It gives us a lot of confidence about the future of the event and the sector in general".
In addition to the title, Zibusiso Mtunzi won a lap top and a trophy, while his deputy Kgalalelo Morapedi walked away with a trophy and a tablet. Six other contestants also got mobile phones as consolation prizes courtesy of Kwela fleet Management.
The Youth in Tourism essay competition ran under the theme "Promoting sustainable tourism development through the involvement and participation of the youth. The essay competition was held concurrently with Southern Africa Youth in Tourism Conference running from 23 to 24 April 2015 in Mauritius. The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Retired Brigadier General Honourable Walter E. Kanhanga from Zimbabwe is the guest of Honour.
This year, the essay finalists were from Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe out of many entries from the 15 SADC member states who submitted essays for the competition. In an interview after the competition, Junior Minister Zibisiso Mthunzi shared these sentiments, "It is with great honour to have been selected as the 2015 Junior Tourism Minister in Southern Africa. I must admit that the competition was stiff and this title did not come on a silver platter. However, I hope to effectively engage the youth in the region to come up with initiatives that would promote sustainable tourism which will in turn significantly transform the livelihoods of people in Southern Africa.
Addressing the delegates during inauguration of new Junior Tourism Minister, the Acting Executive Director of RETOSA, Mr Simba Mandinyenya said "As the organisers, our main objective is to begin to effectively engage and involve young people from an early age and make them aware of the tourism resources and opportunities available in the sector and how these can be exploited sustainably. With respect to this objective, RETOSA is very happy and excited with the outcome of the Southern Africa Junior Tourism Minister event. The contestants were very knowledgeable and showed a lot of passion. It gives us a lot of confidence about the future of the event and the sector in general".
Source - RETOSA
