Gweru (New Ziana) – The tourism industry more than doubled earnings last year to US$672.9 million, up 133 percent from US$288.8 million in 2021, in large part due to the removal of Covid-19 travel restrictions worldwide.
Tourist arrivals in the period also more than doubled to 895 338 from 340 000 in 2021, a rebound of over 160 percent.
The industry was one of the worst affected by Covid-19, with the combined national and global shutdowns whittling down tourist arrivals to a mere trickle between 2020 and 2021.
Speaking at a tourism workshop here, Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mangaliso Ndhlovu said government was coming up with a national tourism policy to cement the industry’s recovery and guide its future development.
He said tourism was a low hanging fruit for the country, which was important in terms of foreign currency generation and employment.
Ndhlovu called for more investment in the industry and stressed the importance of developing a wide variety of tourism products to broaden the country’s appeal, as a destination, to the world.
Last year, investment in the sector rose 239 percent to US$306.7 million, from US$90.4 million in 2021.
“As we engage in these strategic sessions, special attention must be placed on how to leverage on our competitive advantages to market tours that promote culture and heritage of the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
New Ziana
