Trained tourism staff key to development—minister

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wildlife Michael Usi says the tourism industry plays a vital role in economic development and could accelerate the achievement of Malawi 2063 (MW2063), the country’s long-term development plan.

The minister said this on Friday in Blantyre during the graduation of Malawi Institute of Tourism (MIT) students.

Usi said besides helping in the actualising MW2063, the graduates can also assist in the implementation of the 20-year National Tourism Investment Masterplan.

He said: “Training is critical in the development of any sector, more so the tourism industry whose growth potential can only be realised with the placement of well-trained staff in its various sub-sectors.

“During the past two years, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry was brought to its knees.”

Usi advised the graduates to utilise the skills they acquired at MIT by, among others, venturing into small-scale businesses.

“Government hopes that the tourism industry should be run professionally by well-qualified and trained personnel,” he said.

MIT executive director Isabel Chakhumbira said due to limited space at its Blantyre campus, the institute has built two more campuses in Lilongwe and Mzuzu.

“We plead with government to construct teaching facilities to complement these campuses. As a vocation, we offer more practical-based lessons,” she said.

One of the graduates, Linda Kasiyamphanje, said they are equipped to apply the skills in practice.

“The industry should expect that we will bring innovations and solutions that will make a difference in the tourism sector,” she said.

The Malawi Government in partnership with African Development Bank under the Promoting Investment and Competitiveness in the Tourism Sector Project is constructing an application hotel at the MIT Mzuzu campus.

When completed, it will increase the number of students to be enrolled to meet the ever-increasing demand of manpower in the tourism industry.