Zimbabwe ups drive to improve tourism

Mollet Ndebele, Sunday News Reporter

ZIMBABWE has upped its drive to improve tourist arrivals by targeting diasporans based in the United Kingdom to come  and explore various tourist attractions in the country.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) spokesperson Mr Godfrey Koti said last year more than 75 000 people from the UK visited the country, hence the latest move to increase the numbers.

“We have noticed that this market has potential therefore we would like to grow it and our target is to double the numbers by 2020,” he said.

Mr Koti said his organisation was working with a group called Zim Thrive in the drive.

“Zim Thrive is a group of Zimbabweans who are in the diaspora who have decided to invite all other diasporans to come and visit the country in April next year and this coincides with our 40th-year anniversary of our independence.

“This will give us an opportunity to talk about investment opportunities that are here in Zimbabwe for the diaspora,” he said.

Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Priscah Mupfumira has been leading road shows in the UK which started on Tuesday last week and expected to end on Thursday.

“The diasporans together with the wider stakeholders have a huge role to play in releasing the huge potential of the tourism sector for socio-economic benefits,” said Minister Mupfumira. 

ZTA acting chief executive Mrs Rita Likukuma said the road shows were in line with Vision 2025 of the National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy with the main objective of tourism promotion, exchanges and stimulating tourism strategic investments towards the Zimbabwe tourism sector.

“Of essence to this mission is the objective of facilitating an exchange of ideas and resources that spur interest, inspire collaboration, and attract strategic investments among the Zimbabwe Diaspora community which according to the United Kingdom National Statistics Office (NSO) 2018 report accounts for more than          
123 000,” Mrs Likukuma said.

The United Kingdom National Statistics Office (NSO) 2018 report stated that there were 123 000 adult Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom who include 53 000 men and 70 000 women.

Minister Mupfumira is also expected to launch the inaugural edition of the Zim Thrive initiative which will see a congregation of diasporans in Zimbabwe from different source markets in April 2020.

This comes as President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced that Zimbabwe was in a new era and open for business and has appealed to the abundant skilled diasporans to come home to Zimbabwe, whenever, to look for business opportunities and help to rebuild the country.