Barbara Rwodzi, Zimbabwe’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, has rolled out new focus areas in a five-year plan for the development of the country’s tourism.
Whilst the Southern African country’s tourism is doing well with its wildlife, Rwodzi noted that the country needs to develop other areas in order to boost its tourist arrivals.
Speaking to VoyagesAfriq at the Zimbabwe stand at this year’s edition of the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, the Zimbabwean Tourism Minister noted that the new focus includes cultural tourism, new destinations and environmental sustainability initiatives.
“We are now focusing on developing our new babies that have been lying under for some time. We have destinations that are coming up such as Vimba, Kayega and we are going back to our culture.
“Cultural tourism is our focus. We need to have our rural tourism that we want to grow, focusing on the environment, sustainability of our culture and our gastronomy,” Rwodzi said.
The tourism minister explained that the above focus are “what we want to grow in the next five years”.
To ensure sustainability in the achievement of the target, Zimbabwe, according to her, is collaborating with other destinations.
“We have so much conversation with other destinations and business owners. Our expectations is to increase the arrivals in 2023 to the end of 2024”.
Speaking in the reason tourists should visit her country, she said, “Zimbabwe is a great destination for wildlife and for gastronomy tourism.
“Come and experience our food, our drinks and our cooking. “Zimbabwe is also a destination for its people, the people called Zimbabweans are a destination on their own. They are warm people, happy people, the weather is great and the animals are waiting for you. Please come to Zimbabwe,” she beckoned global tourists at the World Travel Market in London.
Speaking further on the reason to visit her country, she said that Zimbabwe is great for wildlife. “A number of arrivals in our country, be it business, tourism or any other, they come for wildlife. Apart from Victoria Falls, one of the old wonders, our natural settings and landscape are great.
We want people to come and see nature in terms of the animals, pristine forest and other natural settings that we have. Wildlife is Zimbabwe,” she concluded.
