Nqobile Bhebhe [email protected]
GOVERNMENT is engaging pension funds and the Public Service Commission (PSC) to develop affordable holiday packages for civil servants, in a move aimed at expanding the domestic tourism market and increasing business for local hotels, lodges and tour operators.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi said the proposed programme would give civil servants an opportunity to take annual family holidays within the country through affordable packages and flexible payment terms.
The initiative seeks to unlock the spending potential of the public service workforce, which represents a significant market for tourism businesses, while enabling more Zimbabweans to experience the country’s diverse tourism attractions.
Speaking during the ongoing Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo, Minister Rwodzi said Government was exploring ways of making domestic holidays accessible to civil servants whose earnings might otherwise limit their ability to travel with their families.
“Civil servants are the biggest constituency in the whole country so we are sitting down with the pension funds to say, how can we create packages for our civil service?” she said.
“We know that their renumerations may not allow them to go on holidays with their families, but it won’t do good for a government that is running a tourism and hospitality industry, not to support civil servants, to be going once a year, to be given a package of going once a year as a family to a holiday in the country.”
The proposed programme could provide tourism operators with an opportunity to develop products tailored to the domestic market, including family accommodation, transport, meals and recreational activities.
By working with pension funds and the PSC, Government is seeking to establish arrangements that make holidays more affordable without placing the full cost of travel on households at once.
Minister Rwodzi said discussions were already under way, with the intention of presenting a programme by around the same time next year.
“So with the pension funds and the PSC in particular, we are in discussions for this so that maybe by the same time next year we will have a programme that will be presented about civil servants going on holidays,” she said.
“Its their choice but at least they will be given packages and simple terms of payment.”
The proposed arrangements would give participating civil servants the option to choose holiday packages suited to their preferences and financial circumstances, potentially creating a more predictable source of demand for tourism establishments.
For the hospitality industry, a structured domestic tourism programme could help businesses widen their customer base beyond international visitors and travellers who can afford conventional holiday rates.
Hotels, lodges, resorts and tour operators could benefit from increased bookings, while transport providers, restaurants, curio traders and communities surrounding tourism destinations could also gain from additional visitor spending.
A stronger domestic tourism market would also provide businesses with opportunities to develop packages for different income groups and encourage travel beyond the country’s established tourism destinations.
However, affordability remains a key consideration in expanding the market, particularly for households facing competing demands on their incomes.
Minister Rwodzi acknowledged that pricing was central to the growth of domestic tourism, saying Government was pursuing measures to make holidays more accessible.
“It will promote domestic tourism as well as giving exposure to our own people,” she said.
She added: “Its another strategy that we are putting in place for the growth of domestic tourism but of course the key strategy is to reduce the prices.”
Reducing the cost of domestic holidays could help stimulate demand among families who might otherwise regard leisure travel as beyond their reach.
More competitive pricing, combined with flexible payment arrangements, could encourage Zimbabweans to explore destinations across the country, supporting occupancy levels and business activity in the tourism and hospitality sector.
The initiative also aligns with efforts to strengthen domestic tourism as a source of growth, broadening the industry’s customer base and reducing its reliance on international arrivals alone.
Zimbabwe has a diverse tourism offering, ranging from wildlife and nature-based attractions to heritage sites, cultural experiences and leisure destinations.
