Harare – Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Barbara Rwodzi, met on Wednesday with the French Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Paul-Bertrand Barets, to discuss ways of deepening cooperation in tourism between the two countries.
The meeting, held in Harare, focused on building stronger linkages, with France already ranking as Zimbabwe’s third largest European tourist source market. Minister Rwodzi acknowledged France’s role in supporting the rehabilitation of the Great Zimbabwe Monument and facilitating the visit of UNESCO’s Director-General earlier this year, which boosted the country’s profile as a cultural and heritage destination.
She further announced Zimbabwe’s participation in the upcoming IFTM Top Resa travel trade show in Paris and introduced the Africa International Academy for Culinary Arts, where she invited French institutions to collaborate in training and benchmarking. 
Ambassador Barets expressed appreciation to First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa for her participation in UNESCO Gastronomy Week in France earlier this year. He praised the successful hosting of the Sanganai/Hlanganani Tourism Expo in the Eastern Highlands and welcomed Air Zimbabwe’s introduction of its ATR flight to Mutare, noting its French origin.
He also proposed closer ties with Atout France, the French tourism development agency, and suggested collaboration through the “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” programme, which could twin picturesque villages in France with selected rural communities in Zimbabwe to promote rural tourism.
