Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, Zimpapers Business Hub
IN a decisive step towards transforming Zimbabwe’s tourism and hospitality sector into a globally competitive and inclusive economic driver, the Government unveiled a comprehensive Tourism and Hospitality Industry Policy (2025–2030), a landmark blueprint that has been embraced by stakeholders across the board.
Launched by President Mnangagwa last week, the policy lays out a transformative roadmap focused on inclusive sectoral growth, infrastructure development, digital transformation and devolution — all anchored on the national vision of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
Backed by extensive consultations across all 10 provinces, the policy is rooted in Section 13 of the Constitution on national development and aligns with the Tourism Act (Chapter 14:20), ensuring legal conformity and national relevance.
It aligns with Vision 2030 aspirations of building an upper-middle income economy and adheres to the Tourism Act (Chapter 14:20).
The general framework aims to promote and develop the tourism and hospitality industry in Zimbabwe, as required by the Constitution, the policy document notes.
President Mnangagwa, recognising the critical role tourism plays in economic revival, directed the formulation of the policy to steer industrialisation in line with the national ethos “Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/ Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabanikazi balo” — a call for citizens to build their own country and ensure “no one and no place is left behind.”
“Realising the importance of tourism as one of the largest contributors to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), His Excellency . . . directed the development of a robust Tourism and Hospitality industry policy,” reads the policy document.
The policy seeks to bring about balanced tourism and hospitality-related development across Zimbabwe, ensuring that local communities benefit from resources in their areas.
Stakeholder consultations, interviews and a detailed gap analysis informed the policy formulation, ensuring it is both practical and reflective of local realities.
To drive the vision, six policy pillars have been adopted, with outcomes ranging from infrastructure development and financing, to human capacity strengthening and regional co-operation.
The goals include utilising innovative frameworks to accelerate tourism and hospitality industry development and promote, strengthen human capacity development in the tourism and hospitality industry, and develop a robust physical and digital infrastructure for the tourism and hospitality industry.
Strengthening a facilitatory legal and regulatory infrastructure for the tourism and hospitality industry, developing and utilising innovative and stable financing infrastructure to facilitate the tourism and hospitality industry and fostering regional and international co-operation to grow the tourism and hospitality industry form part of the goals.
“Promote a heritage-based approach to tourism development so as to take advantage of Zimbabwe’s unique heritage in growing the industry,” reads one of the key directives.
In doing so, the Government aims to ensure the story of Zimbabwe is told by its own people through its ancient ruins, vibrant cultures, cuisine, wildlife, music and hospitality.
The strategy also adopts a cluster-based approach to grow niche tourism segments such as sports, cultural and medical tourism, each with tailored promotion strategies.
Crucially, the policy introduces a devolved-tourism model, putting the spotlight on rural areas and marginalised communities, shifting from decades of concentration on traditional hotspots like Victoria Falls and the Eastern Highlands.
“Promote an inclusive approach in tourism development and promotion by making tourism facilities accessible to marginalised groups and persons including those with disabilities, rural women and the youths thereby leaving no one behind.”
Tourism players have welcomed the launch of the policy, citing its practicality and strategic focus.
Lupane State University Tourism and Hospitality Department lecturer, Dr Ngoni Shereni said a lot of changes have taken place in the last 10 years, making it imperative to come up with a policy that reflects the current business environment and current socioeconomic dynamics.
“The new tourism policy helps to focus efforts from all tourism stakeholders towards a shared vision. More importantly, the contribution of the tourism and hospitality industry to the Vision 2030,” said Dr Shereni.
“A devolved approach is going to be critical to the success of this policy. This starts with raising awareness of the existence of this blueprint at grassroots levels. Every tourism and hospitality stakeholder should be made aware of the goals stated in this policy. The drive towards achieving these goals must be emphasised at the local level and adequate funding should be deployed towards the implementation phase.”
In addition, a timed monitoring and evaluation mechanism should be put in place to ensure that we do not deviate from achieving the policy goals.
Dr Shereni noted that a practical multi-stakeholder collaboration is necessary to ensure that all hands are on deck.
“We need to bring together academia, the industry, local authorities, and various other stakeholders from all corners of the country to work towards achieving the stated goals.”
Mr Tinashe Mudawari, a tourism player in Bulawayo said the new policy reflects both foresight and practicality.
“This is a game changer. It is not a policy of lofty ambitions, it’s grounded in action. The emphasis on decentralisation, digital infrastructure, financing and skills development shows Government’s seriousness in elevating tourism as a true economic pillar,” she said.
Echoing similar sentiments, Mr Tafadzwa Mandiwanzira, a travel and leisure operator, said the availability of a clear national tourism policy is critical for long-term planning and investor confidence.
“Tourism is a sensitive industry that thrives on stability and direction. Having a national policy helps consolidate the sector and guide both local and international investors. It shows the world we are open for serious tourism business,” he noted.
The policy also makes a bold statement on education and skills development, requiring tourism and hospitality students to spend at least 40 percent of their training on practical learning under the Heritage-based Education 5.0 model.
Further, the legal framework governing tourism will be modernised to align with the Constitution’s development mandate and bolster regulation, standards, gender equity and governance.
The policy notes that legislation and regulatory frameworks governing the tourism and hospitality industry must address national development needs in accordance with Section 13 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which focuses on National Development.
Legislation and associated regulations shall guide the tourism and hospitality programmes, human capacity development, digital and physical infrastructure as well as our financing and international engagements.
To this end, the legal and regulatory infrastructure shall be strengthened through continually improving the legislative and regulatory infrastructure to comply with the constitutional requirements of making the tourism and hospitality industry lead to a robust and balanced national development.
“Promote the strengthening of the quality and standards management in the tourism and hospitality industry through continual improvement of laws and regulations. Promote mandatory co-ordination between Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and local authorities, develop legislation that strengthen the registration and grading of tourism and hospitality industry facilities,” reads part of the section.
The financing component is among the most transformative, providing for a resilient and sustainable model to fund sector development.
“The financing infrastructure for the tourism and hospitality industry shall provide for the establishment of a resilient and sustainable model and system of financing the development of the sector,” the policy document notes.
The financing pillar is seen at the heart of the new policy thrust. It aims to attract both domestic and foreign investment, enhance accountability and mobilise the financial resources required to revitalise the sector. This includes both public and private sector-led initiatives aimed at infrastructure development, service delivery enhancement and sustainability.
“The effective implementation of the aspirations of the policy requires transparency and accountability in the utilisation and management of tourism and hospitality industry resources,” the document reads.
As part of the financing drive, the Zimbabwe Tourism Fund (ZTF) has been reconfigured into a critical vehicle for funding priority infrastructure and promoting service quality and standards within the sector.
“Configuration of the Zimbabwe Tourism Fund (ZTF) so that it is used for tourism and hospitality industry infrastructure development, as well as quality and standards development and enhancement,” the policy further outlines.
The new financing architecture is expected to unlock long-term capital, enhance investor confidence, improve sector-wide standards, and firmly position Zimbabwe as a competitive tourism destination in the region and beyond.
The launch of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry Policy comes as the Government has gazetted the Tourism Amendment Bill which seeks to create a stand-alone Tourism Fund.
At the moment, tourism and hospitality players are levied 2 percent of their revenue by the Government, which is deposited into the Fund currently run by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA).
It is envisaged that a standalone Fund would improve good governance, transparency and accountability and would be used to promote local tourism offerings and support players struggling for capital.
Recently, Parliament gazetted the Tourism Amendment Bill whose objective is to establish the ZTA and its mandate, create the Fund and spells out how it will be administered.
Clause 18 of the Bill sets out the establishment of the Zimbabwe Tourism Fund with the responsible Minister being its trustee and will be administered by a Council. The fund will be constituted by levies from players, monies that might be appropriated to it under an Act of Parliament among other sources.
The policy also outlines Zimbabwe’s ambition to integrate more deeply with regional and international tourism ecosystems, promote transfrontier conservation and attract global hospitality brands.
To operationalise the policy, 23 actionable policy areas have been mapped across the six pillars, each with clear timelines, roles and performance indicators.
“It is therefore imperative to develop an implementation plan which clearly defines roles and responsibilities of specific institutions and timeframes. The ever-changing and dynamic environments require constant monitoring and evaluation of existing policies for them to remain relevant,” says the document.
With the new blueprint in hand, Zimbabwe is positioning itself not just to attract more visitors but to build a thriving, inclusive tourism economy that benefits all its citizens.
