PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has encouraged the country’s tourism sector to increase its use of ICTs to help grow market base.
Currently, most of the information about Zimbabwe on the internet is largely negative and this has seen tourists shunning the country resulting in declining arrival figures.
According to analysts, tourism thrives on good and positive coverage from both media and on the internet as most people used the internet when looking for countries to visit.
Since the coming in of the new dispensation in November last year, a lot of efforts have been done to put the name of the country in a positive light but the campaigns have not been that effective and visible especially online.
Addressing delegates at the launch of the ICT Policy, President Mnangagwa said ICTs are a priority and that the tourism sector needs to use them to grow their businesses.
“I encourage the tourism industry to increase the use of ICTs in their businesses to grow their sector and expand their market base.
“…The ICT sector remains a key priority of my government as we seek to modernise and revitalise our ICT policy framework and structural competences in order to ensure the improved market competitiveness of our nation’s products and services in the global market.
“Through modernisation of our ICT policies, we believe that we can create a conducive environment that attracts and fosters both foreign and domestic investment in the ICT sector and the economy at large.
“This policy is, therefore, a foundation to further reforms that are meant to respond to the fast-changing technological environment involving trends needs on the part of consumers, the policy also has in-built stabilisers to ensure that it remains relevant for the next decade as it is both technology and service neutral,” he said.
President Mnangagwa added that the ICT sector in Zimbabwe will contribute towards job creation and market growth as it will address the digital divide characterised by highly unequal access to the use of ICT
