Zimbabwe’s tourism industry is bouncing back as more and more tourists are beginning to view the landlocked Southern Africa nation as an attractive, safe and exciting holiday destination bestowed with immense natural beauty and a world-class tourism infrastructure.
In an exclusive interview with Holiday Guide magazine, Givemore Chidzidzi, CEO of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority reiterated his organisation’s commitment to boosting Zimbabwe’s tourism industry by reaching out to new and emerging markets like the Middle East to attract more tourists to the country. “Tourism is a major source of foreign currency for Zimbabwe,” he said. “Currently the tourism industry contributes approximately 9 per cent to the national GDP. We aim to increase that number in the coming years by attracting more tourists from all across the world – specialy from the Middle East and China,” he said.
Going by the numbers, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has been doing a good job in promoting Zimbabwe’s tourism industry across key source markets. According to available data, in the first quarter of 2018 the number of foreign tourists visiting the Victoria Falls, one of the country’s top tourist attractions, increased by 48% compared to the same period the previous year – a substantial increase that reflects the positive trajectory of the country’s tourism sector.
Zimbabwe’s Booming Tourism Industry
Zimbabwe’s hotel and hospitality industry has reported improved results and are hoping to close the year with an above 50% capacity utilisation.
The reemergence of Zimbabwe’s tourism industry augurs well for the national economy as tourism earnings account for approximately 10% of the country’s GDP. The country’s booming tourism sector provides for over 27,500 jobs and supports an estimated 70,000 people nationwide.
In order to further boost the tourism sector, the Government has eased visa requirements and one can now apply for a visa when already in Zimbabwean territory.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo held in Bulawayo, Givemore Chidzidzi said that the mandate of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority is to “show the world that Zimbabwe is open for business” and that “it’s a safe and exciting tourist destination.”
“I am positive that our tourism sector is going to perform even in the coming years as we are seeing the entry of bigger hotels, better flight connections and large investments in our booming tourism sector,” noted Givemore Chidzidzi.
Currently, the main source markets for Zimbabwe are South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana. However, the Middle East is also an important market that the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has been focussing on. The country’s participation at the 2019 Arabian Travel Market held in Dubai is testimony to the importance Zimbabwe attaches to attracting more tourists from the Middle East region.
The Emirates Connection
“Emirates Airline operates daily flights between Dubai and Harare and this has greatly helped in improving bi-lateral trade and tourism ties between Zimbabwe and Dubai,” Givemore Chidzidzi said. “By launching promotional campaigns in the Middle East markets we aim to attract more tourist from the GCC in the future,” he said.
The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah and Zimbabwe have also signed an MoU to cooperate in six areas – tourism, agriculture, industry & commerce, mining, energy & health.
Trade between Zimbabwe and Dubai has also been growing at a steady pace. Non-oil trade with Africa has grown by more than 700 percent since 2002. Says Dubai Chamber’s president and CEO Hamad Buamim: “Dubai is well positioned to take advantage of economic trends shaping Africa, given the fact that the emirate serves as a major hub for African companies that trade with the GCC and use the city as a strategic hub to access key growth markets in Asia and Europe,” he says.
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