The Government has partnered with tourism stakeholders to design a new strategy for the industry’s growth.
The plan focuses on boosting competitiveness and helping Zimbabwe achieve upper middle-income status by 2030.
Officials are developing the National Tourism Strategy for 2026-2030 through stakeholder consultations.
The Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry hosted the discussions in Bulawayo on Thursday.
The meeting brought together operators and industry representatives to share ideas.
The consultations follow the conclusion of the tourism framework under the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
The Government is now preparing the next phase of the country’s tourism development programme.
Tourism operators welcome inclusive policy approach
Tourism players praised the Government for involving them in policy development.
They said their participation would help create practical solutions for industry challenges.
One operator said the engagement allowed businesses to influence decisions affecting their operations.
“It is important for the Government to involve us players in the formulation of policies,” one tourism operator said.
Another stakeholder highlighted the opportunities created for young people entering the sector.
“As youths, we want to thank the President for opening doors to everyone; we are now players in the tourism sector; we are now involved in gastronomy tourism,” the stakeholder said.
Industry representatives also called for policymakers to consider visitor experiences.
They said operators provide valuable insights because they interact with tourists daily.
“The tourism players are the foot soldiers on the ground and interact with tourists; we get to find what it is that they want to be improved, and we need to take these concerns to policymakers,” another participant said.
Another stakeholder welcomed the discussions, saying they improved awareness of industry changes.
“I am happy to be part of this meeting because, as players, there are developments that come and we will not know, so being part of this consultative meeting helps us to understand how we should operate,” the participant said.
New roadmap expected to shape tourism future
Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe Southern Region Deputy Chairperson Beauty Bhulu said consultations promoted collaboration.
She added that the platform allowed stakeholders to share concerns and suggest solutions.
“This is very important because that is the starting point where we start and share our issues and map the way forward; everyone has the platform to air their views,” she said.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Dr Takaruza Munyanyiwa said the meetings would guide future plans.
He explained that stakeholder contributions would influence the sector’s direction between 2026 and 2030.
“We want to chart the way forward in terms of where the tourism sector is going. This is against the background of the expiration of the NDS1 tourism strategy and, of course, right now on the launch of the national tourism policy which will run from 2026 to 2030,” he said.
“We have gathered tourism stakeholders to make their input into the national tourism strategy.”
The discussions also highlighted improvements supporting tourism expansion.
These include better infrastructure and increased air connectivity.
The launch of Air Zimbabwe’s direct Harare-London route was identified as a major development.
The route is expected to attract more visitors and increase foreign currency earnings.
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