Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe in Masvingo
Zimbabwe is shifting its tourism growth strategy from chasing visitor numbers to targeting high-spending travellers, with Australia emerging as a key market in the Government’s drive to increase tourism receipts.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi said Australia, despite ranking fourth in terms of visitor arrivals, was Zimbabwe’s leading source market by tourism expenditure, making it critical to the country’s tourism growth strategy.
The shift reflects a growing emphasis on the economic value generated by each visitor, rather than arrival numbers alone.
High-spending tourists tend to stay longer and spend more on accommodation, activities, transport, shopping and other tourism-related services, creating wider economic linkages across the sector.
Minister Rwodzi said the latest market analysis had demonstrated the value of the Australian market.
“America is our number one source market in terms of numbers when they arrive. And then we have the UK, we have Germany, we have maybe France thereabout and Italy, they are always fighting maybe for the fourth base. But in 2025 it was Australia on the fourth base,” she said.
However, she said the ranking by arrivals did not necessarily reflect the market’s contribution to tourism receipts.
“But the analysis then told us that Australians are the highest spenders. Even if they are sitting on number four, the money will be so much.
“Arrival is not the issue of that which we fight for. You know people can arrive in their thousands, but how much have they spent, the receipts. So Australians are at the top of spenders,” she added.
Australia contributed 33 000 tourist arrivals to Zimbabwe in 2024, before the figure declined to 27 347 last year.
Despite the decline, the market remains strategically important because of its spending potential and the propensity of travellers from the market to stay longer and explore destinations beyond established tourism hubs.
“This is why we want more Australians coming to our country, because arrival numbers are great, but spending is the big deal,” Minister Rwodzi told reporters at Masvingo Airport on Saturday.
She was speaking after national flag carrier Air Zimbabwe operated three flights carrying international buyers to Masvingo for the 19th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo.
A total of 115 international buyers were on board the three flights, giving local tourism operators an opportunity to engage overseas buyers and showcase Zimbabwe’s diverse tourism offering.
Minister Rwodzi said the Government wanted to attract more high-value visitors while encouraging them to stay longer and travel beyond Victoria Falls.
“The strategy is therefore not simply about increasing visitor numbers. It is about attracting travellers who will spend more and stay longer,” she added.
Other key long-haul markets, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, remain important to Zimbabwe’s high-value tourism strategy.
The Government is consequently working to broaden the country’s tourism circuit by promoting lesser-known destinations and experiences that showcase Zimbabwe’s landscapes, heritage and culture.
The approach is also expected to spread tourism expenditure across provinces and create opportunities for a wider range of tourism businesses.
Zimbabwe is stepping up destination marketing in Australia as it seeks to capture a larger share of the competitive outbound tourism market.
In July, the country held a two-city roadshow in Australia as part of efforts to strengthen trade relations, raise destination visibility and attract more visitors.
Minister Rwodzi said Zimbabwe will take a more aggressive approach to the market.
“Aggressiveness. We will push very hard and we won’t be doing things in the usual way”.
The strategy is being supported by the Zimbabwean diaspora in Australia, estimated at about 60 000 people.
The diaspora provides an important network for destination promotion, encouraging friends, relatives and professional associates to visit Zimbabwe while facilitating business and cultural exchanges.
Improved air connectivity remains critical to converting market interest into actual arrivals and higher tourism receipts.
Minister Rwodzi noted the need to revive direct air links with Australian carrier Qantas to improve accessibility and potentially reduce the cost and inconvenience of travelling between the two markets.
The Air Zimbabwe flights into Masvingo provided a practical demonstration of how improved connectivity can support the Government’s strategy of taking tourism beyond traditional destinations.
Bringing 115 international buyers directly into Masvingo allowed them to experience the province’s tourism products while creating business opportunities for local operators.
It also strengthened the commercial dimension of Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe, which is being used to connect Zimbabwean tourism businesses with international buyers and position the country as both an investment and leisure destination.
