New tourism attractions on cards

Sydney Kawadza Senior Reporter
Zimbabwe is set to develop new and unexplored tourism attractions to enhance its chances of making the sector a $5 billion economy by 2020.

The initiative is part of the National Tourism Master Plancrafted by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry which would include the strengthening of Tourism Development Zones and Community-based Tourism Development among its targets.

Speaking on the sidelines of the National Tourism Master Plan Sensitisation Workshop in Harare yesterday, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi said his department, through the programme, was geared to build the sector around Zimbabwe’s God-given endowments.

“We have signposted a $5 billion tourism economy by the year 2010. It’s called – Vision 5:5:15:2020 – towards a $5 billion tourism economy from five million arrivals, contributing 15 percent to the Gross Domestic Product, by year 2020,” he said.

Minister Mzembi said the Master Plan would also seek to create, out of Zimbabwe, a world class destination. “We already are (a world class tourist destination) by virtue of the endowments that we have in our country, with the Victoria Falls, being the signature attraction for the country,” he said.

In its executive summary, the Master Plan says time was ripe for tourism to become the strategic spearhead to move Zimbabwe to new more favourable horizons.

The Master Plan also captured 11 tourism development zones, some of which, have been designated to Special Economic Zones. These include the Victoria Falls that already has enhanced features in terms of investment attractiveness.

“My vision is really to see that extension of SEZ status extended to all remaining 10 in the country so that we have a democratic dispensation that ensures that there is tourism for all inclusivity,” Minister Mzembi said.