Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
THE Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry has begun nationwide consultations to develop the National Tourism Sector Strategy (NTSS) 2026–2030, a blueprint aimed at growing Zimbabwe’s tourism industry and increasing annual tourism receipts to US$5 billion by 2030.
Launched recently in Harare by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi, the consultations are being conducted province by province to gather input from industry players, communities and Government agencies.
Stakeholder workshops have so far been held in Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Harare and Bulawayo, with the latest consultations taking place in Beitbridge, Matabeleland South.
The NTSS 2026–2030 is expected to provide a roadmap for the sustainable growth, competitiveness and transformation of Zimbabwe’s tourism sector in line with Vision 2030, the National Development Strategy 2 and the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Policy 2025–2030.
The strategy is anchored on heritage-based tourism cluster development, improved destination accessibility and sustainable community empowerment.
Speaking in an interview in Beitbridge today, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Takaruza Munyanyiwa, said the consultation drive was deliberate and policy-driven.
“We are here in Beitbridge undertaking our strategic consultation work in Matabeleland South province on the development of the national tourism sector strategy,” he said.
“We started with a launch in Harare. So far, we have covered Bulawayo, Mashonaland West, and Midlands, and today we are covering Matabeleland South province. Another team is covering Manicaland.”
He stressed that strategies must be built with the people who will implement them.
“Basically, I think that as we develop our strategy, we are obligated by policy to do consultation with stakeholders. Strategies and policies must be stakeholder-driven because, at the end of the day, they are the ones who drive implementation,” said Dr Munyanyiwa.
He said in Matabeleland South, the turnout was good with Government agencies attending under a whole-of-government approach.
In addition, he said, tourism operators, special interest groups, and representatives of youth and women in tourism also participated in the consultation process.
Dr Munyanyiwa said the discussions centred on competitiveness, digital transformation, human skills development, and destination accessibility.
“We also have tourism operators and special interest groups, youth, women, and youth in tourism groups. Everyone is represented so that we get input on where we go from NDS1 to NDS2, aligning with the tourism policy and the pillars that have been set,” he said.
“One interesting thing that has happened now is that this strategy is being crafted at an opportune moment when Zimbabwe is doing well internationally,” he said.
“We are at the peak of our performance, and the idea is to maintain and grow. We are no longer talking about recovery; we are talking about moving forward.
“This morning we had the opportunity to highlight some of the positive developments on the international platform about tourism.
“We need to ride on these international endorsements. Just two days ago we had the inaugural UK Harare flight after a 14-year hiatus”.
Dr Munyanyiwa added, “This is a game changer in terms of international and regional arrivals to Zimbabwe. Previously, we have been getting international visits via and via, which is not cost-effective. Now we can become a prime destination. It can increase the length of stay.”
He said product diversity was another key message and that Zimbabwe must move beyond relying on a single icon.
The officials said the drive should be done within the context of devolution as set by President Mnangagwa.
He stressed that Zimbabwe is not all about one destination, that is Victoria Falls; it’s about the country having multiple tourism destinations around the country.
“So we must talk about product diversification, and the guiding principle is the heritage-based principle. This is about Zimbabwe, and we are doing that,” said Dr Munyanyiwa.
“In terms of domestic tourism, I also need to highlight that it is at the centre of our strategy and how we sustain domestic tourism growth.
“Internationally, domestic tourism contributes not less than 70 percent to international receipts and arrivals. So we need to make sure that we also promote domestic tourism by opening more space for visitation and also development in terms of domestic travel.”
He also said the modernisation of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport and Victoria Falls International Airport was part of the Government’s investment in connectivity.
He said last year, the Grand Reef Airport in Mutare was opened, and there are plans to improve links to Masvingo during Sanganai this year.
Dr Munyanyiwa said it was critical to ensure that the airports are ready to receive international travellers and also make local travel easy.
“In the same vein, we need a very robust domestic travel network in terms of the air linking all the vital and iconic sites; we also need a good road and rail network. Those are the three pillars of domestic and international tourism we have to work on,” he said.
“MICE tourism is a lucrative sector of business travel focused on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions, and we need to look at that. MICE infrastructure development is critical.
“You will note that MICE contributes between 60 and 70 percent of tourism receipts internationally, and as a country we need to do more to develop MICE infrastructure around the country. We have done well in the past, but we need to be customer-made in every province.”
Dr Munyanyiwa said early trends were already emerging from the consultations in Harare, Bulawayo, Mashonaland West, Beitbridge and Midlands.
“We are happy with the submission here today in Matabeleland South on what the stakeholders think, and we are beginning to form a trend from what we have seen in the last engagements so far, and this is how you develop a stakeholder-driven strategy,” he said.
“We will do the summarisation soon, and this is a very good exercise for tourism, and we are all energised because it’s coming at a time when Zimbabwe is doing very well, and we can only succeed.”
Peter Tanyanyiwa