Johannesburg, South Africa (ADV) – Zimbabwe’s First Lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa, has challenged women to meaningfully contribute towards growth of the economy by actively partaking in the tourism sector, Afican Daily Voice has learnt.
Mnangagwa made this call during the Women in Tourism launch which was held under the theme “Women Empowerment for Tourism Growth and Sustainable Development”.
The First Lady further encouraged women to maintain unity and develop meaning networks.
“At our level as women our time for individualism is past us,” said Mnangagwa.
“The world trends demand that we form alliances and we become powerful forces together. Let us work together so that our efforts will not go in vain. These projects require common unity so I encourage you to be united and maintain oneness. We as African women in tourism can explore our advantages and share notes on pertinent issues on socio and economic development. We need to compete with other women at regional and international level. This can only be achieved if we maintain our oneness.”
According to the Herald, Mnangagwa further expressed concern that according to the The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) report, women were contributing a substantial amount of unpaid labour to home-based tourism businesses.
“I therefore urge you the executive committee to prioritise these key areas to promote gender equality in tourism.
“(UNWTO) also noted that in some countries like Nicaragua and Panama more than 70 percent of business owners are women compared to just over 20 percent in other sectors.
“On employment the International Labour Organisation found out that women make up between 60 to 70 percent of the labour force in the hotel sector.
“A study in Bulgaria revealed 71 percent of managers and administrators in tourism compared to 29 percent in the country as a whole.
“I call for more concerted efforts for women to be more visible and active through various initiatives and strategies. Women must endeavour to record their achievements, challenges, statistics in occasional journals and reports to track progress and take corrective measures,” she said.
© Bur-JHB – M.C/K.R – African Daily Voice (ADV) – Follow us on Twitter : @ADVinfo_en
