The President said he was particularly delighted to note that the Grand Palace Hotel Limited management decided to invest in this modern hospitality facility in Mzuzu City.
My Government’s vision is to develop Mzuzu further into a world class City as it is a gate way to the Northern Malawi and to all the tourists’ attractions in the region, suchas, the Nyika Plateau, Lakeshore areas, Likoma District and the historicLivingstonia, among others.
I am also happy to see a number of new modern facilities being built in the City. This is commendable because the Northern part of Malawi is opening up and more economic activitiesare taking place than ever before. I amconvinced that this trend will continue for many years to come for the betterment of the people of this region and Malawi as a whole. As a Government, we desire to see Malawiansbenefiting from such investments through economic and social empowerment.
he continued to say Let me take this opportunity, therefore to pay tribute and commend the Chairman and Managing Director of The Grand Palace Hotels Limited For this hotel investment and your steadfast commitment to providing quality,yet affordable products and services. For several decades now, you have excelled in every sphere of businesses you have ventured into, never failing to meet the ever-changing needs of your consumers.
As you expand your investments to other sectors, such as, the hospitality industry, I am confident that you will continue to uphold the same culture of excellence in all your endeavors. I commend your initiative in developing this magnificent facility in Mzuzu City.
Mutharika opens the Grand Palace Hotel in Mzuzu
My Government considers Tourism as one of the strategic sectors for the economic transformation of this country. This is why, it is among the priority sectors, that have been identified within the economic diversification policy. Am aware, distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen that for this sector to grow and contribute significantly to the social-economic transformation of this economy,a number of deliberate policies will have to be put in place to address the underlining challenges that are impeding growth of the sector.
My Government believes that the Tourism sector has the potential to be a strategic tool to eradicate poverty; reduce inequalities; improve rural infrastructure; generate forex; create employment for the youth and wealth for the nation. It is for this reason that I Would like to appeal to the Private sector to take lead in the development of tourism in Malawi.
My Government is committed to provide an enabling environment for investment and business.
In this regard, therefore, I would like to direct the Ministry Of Information, Tourism and Culture, jointly with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Transport and Public Infrastructure to identify gaps and bottlenecks in our current policies and legislation that impede tourism growth in this country and recommend deliberate competitive polices which my Government can put in place to drive investments into tourism.
I am mindful of the fact that this is how other successful tourism destinations that diversified from Agriculture, such as Mauritius, did in order to develop its tourism sector. I will also be interested to see clear and specific policy recommendations for the empowerment of local Malawians, in particular women and the youth, in order to increase their participation in this sector.
One of the initiatives that my Government has put in place is the Skills Development Programme under the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Development which seeks to empower the youth in various skills necessary for the economic development of this country. In this regard, the Tourism sector is considered as one of the labour intensive industries which has potential in generating employment and promoting entrepreneurship in this country.
It is my sincere hope that the sector can also benefit from this programme through the development of skills in various disciplines, such as, housekeeping, tour guiding, front office management, waiting, and food production, among others.Furthermore, this programme will complement the state-of-the-art Tourism Training Institute whose construction will soon commence in Lilongwe.
My Government’s vision is to see that the sector has skilled and professional staff relevant to market demands in orderto deliver a world-class service so that we can compete effectively within the region.
Finally,I would like to once again thank the Chairperson and Managing Director of The Grand Palace Hotels Limited and all the Directors for inviting me to president over this function and making this event a success.
It is now my singular honour to declare The Grand Palace Hotel in the City of Mzuzu officially opened.
I thank you all for your attention. God bless you and God bless Malawi.
