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THE Zimbabwe Government will soon launch a new tourism policy aimed at increasing and the contribution of the industry to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a cabinet Minister has said. Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi said the policy was ready for launching.
“In a couple of weeks we shall be launching a new tourism policy,” he said.
Mr Mzembi said the policy also sought to address a number of challenges afflicting the sector including limited resources needed to market the country’s resorts.
He said chief among the goals of the policy was promoting the country as a safe tourist destination.
It would also promote domestic and other aspects including religious tourism.
The tourism industry is targeting to grow its contribution to the GDP to 15 percent by 2015, on the basis of 3, 2 million arrivals and US$5 billion in tourism receipts
Tourism is on the recovery path following a slump experienced over the past 13 years mainly due to the negative publicity the country was receiving from the Western media.
The successful co-hosting with Zambia of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly in August boosted the image of the country as a safe tourist destination.
According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), the country recorded a 12 percent increase in arrivals in the first half of 2013, with the figure reaching 859 995 compared to 767 393 recorded during the same period last year.
Globally, the tourism industry is also on a growth trajectory recording a five percent increase in international tourist arrivals in the first half of 2013 compared to the same period last year.
In 2012, total arrivals amounted to 1,035 billion, up from 995 million in 2011. —New Ziana.
Online Reporter