1.9 million tourists visited Zimbabwe in 2024 (Photo: Zimbabwe Tourism)
Takaruza Munyanyiwa
How has Zimbabwe tourism industry grown, and what are the key markets driving this recovery?
Zimbabwe has done very well as we have grown from a low of 300,000 tourists in 2021 to now 1.9 million tourists in 2024. The major drivers were over our traditional markets, notably the European markets like Germany, United Kingdom, France and a lot of other European countries and the United States. Of course Asia is rising, with China and Japan having recovered pretty well post-Covid and one of the key emerging markets that we are also looking at is India.
The numbers currently are not so great but we have actually invested in an office in India, we have got a tourism attaché at the Zimbabwean High Commission in New Delhi to promote in South Asia and we also have positioned a resource in Dubai, to promote tourism but on the whole tourism has been on the recovery and in our country is the third industry in terms of contribution to GDP. Last year we did very well topping the other industries to 12 pc to GDP and usually we are number three after mining and agriculture so it is a very good time for us for tourism.
How many visitors did you receive in 2024?
In 2024 we received 3 million visitors and we are among the top 10 visited African countries, where we are at number seven. In 2023, we were at 1.6 million visitors, so we have doubled the number in 2024 and like I said it is a combination of arrivals from the region from Africa and Europe, Americas and Asia which is one of the emerging markets.
What is your target for 2025?
For 2025 we would like to surpass the 2024 figures but with a lot of marketing campaigns. We are also looking at roadshows in the key markets in the source markets both in Europe, Asia and other African regional countries. We also want to make sure that we embrace the digital footprint because digital marketing is very important and we really need to strengthen that so that our numbers go up and to increase more visibility within the tourism domains.
Will you continue tourism promotion efforts in key cities this year?
Yes, last year we collaborated with about 20 industry players, and they are eager to continue this year, revisiting key cities to sustain tourism promotion efforts. Additionally, we are focusing on sports tourism, leveraging Zimbabwe’s strong cricket culture, much like India’s. Zimbabwe will co-host the ICC U-19 World Cup Championship in 2026 and the Senior World Cup Championship in 2027 alongside South Africa and Namibia, with events expected to take place in Victoria Falls.
Which are the key tourism segments that Zimbabwe is focusing on for the Indian market?
The three key tourism segments we focus on are culture, which is a major selling point, wildlife and safari experiences, and World Heritage Sites like Victoria Falls and Great Zimbabwe, which is the site of an Iron-Age settlement, and which are highly appealing to the Indian market. Additionally, sports tourism is another growing avenue we are looking to promote.
How is Zimbabwe positioning itself as a MICE destination, and what major conferences are planned for this year?
Zimbabwe is a MICE destination and we have hosted quite a big number of international MICE conferences especially in Victoria Falls and in Harare. This year in July we are hosting the COP 15 Ramsar Wetlands Conference in Harare and in Victoria Falls which is likely to have 2,000 international delegates so we think MICE is the way to go and we have the capacity and we have hosted a lot of these conferences.
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