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Rutendo Nyeve,Sunday News Reporter
AFRICAN countries remain the country’s prime tourism source market with South Africa leading the pack at just more than 60 000 arrivals in the first nine months of this year.
This came out of a Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) compiled industry performance report released recently.
The report gives highlights of the tourism performance in the country for the first nine months of this year.
The report shows that the year has witnessed a surge in tourism arrivals as the sector recovers from the impacts of Covid-19.
According to the report, Africa has been the country’s biggest source market.
“There were 60 004 arrivals from South Africa up from 15 314 in 2021 posting a 292 percent increase.
“Malawi posted the second highest arrivals from January to September with 43 483 up from 15 280 in 2021 which is a 185 percent change. The third highest is Zambia with 38 954 arrivals up from 16 653 in 2021,” reads the report.
Botswana and Nigeria recorded the highest positive change of 1 059 percent and 1 055 percent respectively. The country had recorded 884 arrivals from Botswana in 2021 but the number has since increased to 10 247 in the first months of the year.
The country recorded just 142 tourist arrivals from Nigeria in 2021, with the number increasing to 1 640 so far this year.
According to the report, Africa has so far seen 208 477 tourists visiting Zimbabwe compared to 64 539 the previous year, which is a 223 percent change.
“The country recorded 34 467 arrivals from USA in the first nine months of the year up from 5 498. Canada also contributed as a source market with 2 555 arrivals up from 297 in 2021.
In total, the country has so far recorded 40 431 arrivals from America up from 5 975 which is a 577 percent change,” reads the report.
Europe has also seen significant flows into the country, with Britain leading in arrivals at 19 704 up from 4 553 in 2021.
A massive change of 1 479 percent has been recorded in tourist arrivals from Italy who went up to 6 411 from 406 in 2021.
However, due to travel restrictions in Australia, the country recorded a negative change of 43 percent with the number of arrivals falling from 1 954 in 2021 to 1 106 so far this year.
“The country also recorded an increase in arrivals from Asia with China and Hong Kong contributing 6 516 arrivals up from 1 746. India leads in the tourist arrivals coming from Asia with 7 810 having been recorded so far.
“The continent contributed a total of 16 351 arrivals in the first nine months of the year,” reads the report.
The country also recorded significant improvements in arrivals coming from Carribean Islands. These saw a 3 071 percent increase being recorded from Cuba, Jamaica and other Islands.
The Middle East and the Oceania also contributed a significant figure of tourist arrivals. Australia recorded an increased number in tourist arrivals; 3 177 up from 513 in 2021.
Israel, UAE and Iran are some of the countries in the Middle East that contributed as well to the grand total of 335 545 tourists that arrived in the country in the first nine months of the year.
Meanwhile, the tourism sector recorded a total of US$306,7 million in new investments. Most of the investments were in accommodation and motor vehicle hire. And these contributed to the 239 percent increase in new investments during the period under review.
derick.khumalo