Zimbabwe Tourism Industry has achieved 2025 US$5 billion target

 Leonard Ncube – leonard.ncube@chronicle.co.zw

GOVERNMENT believes the tourism industry has achieved its US$5 billion target set for 2025 and is working on a digital system that will help monitor and account for every transaction to close leakages and guarantee the sector’s contribution to the national economy.

Government set a target to achieve a US$5 billion tourism industry by 2025 spearheaded by arrivals and developments in the sector.

Speaking in Victoria Falls this Saturday, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Deputy Minister Tongai Mnangagwa said the tourism industry had surpassed its target for a US$5 billion industry by 2025 but was being hampered by under-declaring of transaction by operators.

Dep Minister Mnangagwa said arrivals and bookings over the years show that the US$5 billion target had been met.

He was speaking soon after leading a ceremonial tee-off at the 2024 Sterling Group International Pairs Golf Tournament National Finals being played at Elephant Hills Golf Course in Victoria Falls.

More than 120 amateur golfers from across the country were expected to participate at the tournament for a chance to progress to the World Finals in Tenerife, Spain next month.

Sterling Group of Hotels are sponsoring the tournament in partnership with Albatross Golf Safaris and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) with the sporting event coming in as one of the activities aimed at drumming up the brand Zimbabwe campaign, and complementing the Vision 2030.

“Just for these two days we are looking at about US$200 000 spent by people who came, looking at occupancy. In the long run we are saying we want to push domestic tourism as people move to play golf so that the US$5 billion industry is achieved very easy.

“In my personal capacity we have actually passed the US$5 billion industry. The Challenge is that our operators don’t declare actual figures on occupancy because they want to cut down that 2 percent that they remit to Zimbabwe Tourism Authority but if you look at numbers we have actually surpassed the target,” he said.

Dep Minister Mnangagwa said domestic tourism was more important than to wait for international tourists.

He said for any economy to move there is need for spending and creation of employment which helps in growth towards attaining vision 2030.

“We are going to surpass mining and agriculture and soon we will be number 1 contributor to the gross domestic product. What we are saying about under-declaring is, we are coming up with a system or software where every organisation will be made to adhere to and we will be using it to calculate automatically who came in and how many days spent.

“So it is going to be very easy. It will be digital, that is where the world is going. His Excellency President Mnangagwa is pushing towards that and as a Ministry we found it prudent that we also go in that line where every calculation is done and we are able to predict,” said the Dep Minister.

With reference to the ongoing Sadc Heads of State Summit, Dep Minister Mnangagwa said it is a key development that drives tourism as all 16 member States are closely following the event which on its own is advertising for the whole region to recognise that Zimbabwe is there and is a good destination to visit.

Source:  Zimbabwe Tourism Industry has achieved 2025 US$5 billion target (17/08/24)