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The City of Bulawayo is stepping up efforts to attract private investment into its tourism sector, targeting opportunities in hospitality, conferencing, entertainment and heritage tourism to stimulate business growth and employment creation.
The local authority leveraged its participation at the 2026 Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo to market the city as Zimbabwe’s cultural and tourism capital under the theme, “City of Kings – The Cultural and Tourism Capital of Zimbabwe”.
Through its Economic Development Unit’s Marketing and Investment Promotions Section, the City engaged tourism operators, investors, travel agencies and accommodation providers to explore business linkages and potential partnerships.
Investment opportunities showcased included hotels and lodges, conference facilities, restaurants, retail developments, recreational facilities, cultural tourism and tourism transport services.
According to a latest council report, the exhibition increased Bulawayo’s visibility among tourism stakeholders and potential visitors while reinforcing its distinctive cultural and economic identity.
“The City’s participation increased the visibility of Bulawayo among tourism stakeholders and potential visitors and provided a platform to communicate the City’s distinctive cultural, tourism and economic attributes,” the report said.
The City said destination marketing could stimulate demand across the wider tourism value chain, creating opportunities for entrepreneurs and private investors.
“The Expo also demonstrated how destination marketing can complement the City’s investment promotion mandate, since tourism activity can generate demand for accommodation, restaurants, entertainment, retail, transport, conference facilities and other services, creating opportunities for private sector investment and enterprise development,” the City said.
However, council acknowledged that converting promotional exposure into tangible investments required sustained marketing, stakeholder coordination and stronger investment mobilisation.
It noted that future engagements should track investor enquiries, partnerships, commercial commitments and investment leads to measure economic returns.
The Economic Development Unit is proposing a structured destination marketing and investment promotion programme, supported by digital marketing, private-sector partnerships and participation in regional and international tourism exhibitions.
The ultimate goal is to translate Bulawayo’s cultural heritage and tourism potential into bankable projects, sustainable enterprises and jobs.
