By Chisomo Phiri
Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture in conjunction with Tourism Malawi will from April 26 to 27,2023 hold Takulandirani Malawi International Tourism Expo 2023 at Bingu International Convention Centre ( BICC) in Lilongwe.
In an interview, Tourism Minister Vera Kamtukule said to be held under the theme ‘ We are back! Ipatse Moto!’, the expo will give Malawi an opportunity to recover from the devastating impact of all the disasters that have set it back in terms of national development and economic growth.
“This is against the background that Tourism has been positioned as the base for our structural transformation of the economy as indicated in the MW2063 and MIP1.
“The 2023 MITE will be held under the theme, We are back! Ipatse Moto! Because indeed we are coming back from all the hardships and effects of the Covid 19 pandemic that barred us from having the expo in the past two years. We are coming back stronger and we will give it our all to make sure Malawi thrives,” she said.
She added “As you may know, as a country we have been through the hardest times ever, with cyclones and disease outbreaks. Recently we have just been hit by a devastating cyclone Freddy that has left many people displaced, missing and many feared to be dead.
“At this point the nation may be on its knees and many may even wonder why we should be hosting such an expo during this tough time. But certainly this is the right time and we need to do it because we are resilient and we are a strong people. It is the right time to show the world what it means to be Malawian and why we are known as the warm heart of Africa.”
The minister said her ministry being in the tourism sector, they want to showcase the potential and opportunities that Malawi has in as as far as tourism is concerned.
Said the minister “This is why I spent my time with the team at Music crossroads to see how they can fit into the expo to promote our culture through arts, music story telling.”
Kamtukule said, they will not only give a platform to the locals but also host international buyers and international media so as to position Malawi as the preferred tourist destination in the world.
She said as part of complementing this, her ministry has come up with an aggressive domestic tourism’s strategy enshrined in the Tourism Master Plan to allow Malawi citizens enjoy the experience of the country is offering in the tourism induy.
“It is an anomaly that we the people of Malawi should not experience the parks and the good things this land has to offer,”
“Some people ask us why we are inviting all these people to Malawi yet our airports are not that nice and as magnificent as they wished they would be. And my response is, “the children in the home don’t stop eating because their father has lost a job” life must go on and the kids need to eat. We are not inviting the people to see our airports we want the to experience what it means to be Malawian. Why we are the warm heart of Africa and why such a small nation can be so resilient in the face of such challenges,” said Kamtukule.
Pikisy of ‘Unamata’ fame, Wikise, Drimo, Kell Kay, Kelvin Silungwe, Kondwani Kachamba Ngwira and Yamikani Nicholas Kachingwe are among people that have been invited to attend event.
