HAVING racked in over US$24 million last year, this year’s edition of the Harare International Carnival promises to surpass that mark.
More participants compared to last year have since confirmed participation.
Over 1,5 million people participated in the carnival last year, giving the tourism industry and downstream industries a massive boost.
The local carnival is working towards becoming an event that will rake in millions of dollars.
In countries such as Brazil, carnivals rake in about US$3 billion every year.
The third edition of the Harare International Carnival, like other tourism strategies is expected to help boost tourist arrivals and spread a positive message across the world.
Addressing journalists at a press briefing in Harare on Wednesday, the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Anastacia Ndhlovu, said the participation of 24 countries is an indication that the event is growing.
“As a ministry in charge of tourism, we have made an undertaking to continue investing in policies that advance the growth of this sector,” she said.
“We are fully cognisant of the fact that the carnival is still in its infancy, but we remain optimistic that if guaranteed the support it is currently getting from both the public and private entities, it will sustainably grow to become a fundamental stimulus for sustainable socio-economic development.”
Ndhlovu noted that there was need to revise the prices in the tourism sector to promote domestic tourism.
“It is my desire to see the growth of domestic tourism,” she said.
“I want to implore the tourism industry to revise their pricing structure and create affordable packages for our people modelled around the carnival to enable visitors from outside the city to also attend this mega event.
“The continued coming of other countries has continued to rise by each edition and this is a positive response to our initiatives as a destination and a reminder to us that we need to continue looking at policies that enhance and facilitate travel among our countries.”
Seamless border control systems, review of Visa regimes and general facilitation matters and accessibility are critical issues at the centre of tourism that the Government of Zimbabwe has given due attention in order to promote multicultural movement, understanding, cooperation and existence.
This year the Brazilian carnival team Momo Kings, the DRC which is the official partner for the next three years, India and other countries are taking part in the Harare International Carnival.
The Samba Night, the Rhumba Night, the welcome party for the international visitors and many others are part of events lined up.
Speaking to The Patriot Momo King’s team leader, Juliano Barbosa said the team was excited to be in Zimbabwe for their second show.
“We are excited to be back in Zimbabwe for our second participation at the Harare International Carnival,” Barbosa said.
“The last time gave us a very unique opportunity to mix and mingle with the hospitable people and it was very special for us to receive such love when people were taking pictures in the street.
“It was a little different, but special.
“We have brought some new people this time so that they can also experience Zimbabwe since we have a large group with various components of the samba schools.
“However, you can be assured that part of the Brazilian soul is here.”
Camila Basilio (34) Brazilian flag bearer said she was happy to be back in Zimbabwe to bring the happiness and culture of the Brazilian people.
The DRC Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Mawampanga Mwanananga said his country’s partnership with Zimbabwe was an honour.
“Thank you to the Government of Zimbabwe for choosing DRC as a partner for the next three years for the Harare International Carnival,” he said.
“We promise to bring in a lot of our artistes from different regions to show our culture and we promise you haven’t seen anything yet.”
According to Wikipedia, in Brazil, the carnival is an annual festival held during the Friday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period before Easter.
On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term ‘carnival’, from ‘carnelevare’, ‘to remove meat’.