Bulawayo, (New Ziana) – Zimbabwe’s tourism sector has surpassed pre-COVID-19 performance, with industry earnings now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. as government moves to develop a new strategy to drive sustainable growth.
Speaking during a stakeholder consultative meeting on the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) 2026-2030 in Bulawayo, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Takaruza Munyanyiwa, said the sector had made remarkable progress over the past four years, providing a solid foundation for long-term growth.
The consultative meeting, convened by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, forms part of nationwide engagements to gather stakeholder input for a strategy expected to guide the growth of the country’s tourism sector over the next five years.
The strategy seeks to foster a competitive, resilient, inclusive and sustainable tourism sector while ensuring that provincial priorities, opportunities and development aspirations are incorporated into the national blueprint.
“The tourism sector has demonstrated remarkable resilience, with tourism receipts reaching 104 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels.
“Earnings have grown from US$500 million in 2021 to US$1.32 billion in 2025, reflecting sustained recovery and renewed investor and traveller confidence in destination Zimbabwe,” Munyanyiwa said.
He said international tourist arrivals had increased significantly from 390 000 in 2021 to 1,78 million in 2025, while domestic tourism had expanded to 13,7 million visitors, highlighting the growing importance of the local market in sustaining the industry.
“Cumulative investment in the sector has reached US$1,15 billion, employment contribution has increased from 2 percent in 2021 to 3,5 percent in 2025, while tourism’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product has risen from 2,5 percent to six percent over the same period,” he said.
He said tourism remains a strategic pillar of Vision 2030, and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) due to its role in creating jobs, earning foreign currency, attracting investment, promoting rural industrialisation and showcasing Zimbabwe’s cultural and natural heritage.
Munyanyiwa said the NTSS would be guided by the theme: “Building a Competitive, Inclusive, Resilient and Sustainable Tourism Economy,” while positioning the country to take advantage of emerging global tourism trends.
“Global tourism is evolving rapidly, with growing demand for sustainable tourism, digital transformation, climate resilience, wellness tourism, experience-based travel, cultural and heritage tourism, and community-based tourism.
“Our strategy must position Zimbabwe to benefit from these opportunities,” he said.
Despite the sector’s recovery, Munyanyiwa said several challenges continued to constrain growth, including limited product diversification, inadequate tourism infrastructure, destination accessibility, skills shortages, climate change, weak tourism statistics, financing constraints and stiff international marketing competition.
To address these challenges, he said, the strategy proposes six strategic pillars centred on product development and diversification, human capital development, destination accessibility, policy and legislative reforms, innovative tourism financing, and domestic, regional and international market development.
Among the proposed interventions are adopting heritage and cluster-based tourism development models, promoting community-based tourism, empowering youth and women through skills development, improving transport connectivity, easing the business environment, strengthening destination branding and expanding digital marketing initiatives.
Munyanyiwa said implementation of the strategy would adopt a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach guided by the principle of “leaving no one and no place behind.”
“The NTSS is our commitment to delivering a robust tourism sector. The strategy must be evidence-based, leveraging tourism statistics, market intelligence and international best practices.
“Let us harness our collective wisdom, resources and energy to build our sector.
“Together, we will shape a vibrant, resilient and globally competitive tourism sector that uplifts communities, strengthens our economy and reaffirms Zimbabwe’s place on the world tourism map,” he said.
New Ziana
