Zimbabwe recorded a more than 150% year-on-year increase in international arrivals for Q1 2024, indicating that the country’s tourism promotion efforts and major airport upgrades are bearing fruit.
The country welcomed just under 405 000 international visitors between January and March 2024, compared with the 221 000 arrivals for the same period in 2023, according to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat).
Notably, arrivals by air surged by 172% to 134 100, buoyed by the expansions of the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (HRE) and Victoria Falls International Airport (VFA) in 2023. HRE – which upped its annual passenger capacity from 2.5 million to six million as a result of the upgrade – handled 96 658 arrivals, with VFA handling 30 840.
“This upsurge underscores the importance of ongoing investments in Zimbabwe’s aviation infrastructure,” economist Tinevimbo Shave told government-owned Zimbabwean publication The Herald.
Intra-African travel dominated arrivals, led by South Africa (20.8%), Mozambique (14.4%) and Zambia. Arrivals from overseas were headed by the US with 9.9% of overall international arrivals, followed by the UK and Ireland (4.4%) and Australia (3%).
Strong uptick in business and leisure travel
The country witnessed a more than 300% increase in business-related visits, from 39 772 to 121 174, illustrating what Shiva described as “growing investor confidence and interest in Zimbabwe’s economic opportunities, driven by recent policy reforms and improvements in the business climate”.
Visitors travelling for holidays rose by almost 50%, from 102 790 to 151 964. The remainder of visitors were split between the categories of ‘in-transit’, ‘education’ and ‘shopping’.
“The substantial increases across various visitor categories underscore the country's growing appeal for business, education, tourism, and commerce. As Zimbabwe continues to enhance its infrastructure and regulatory environment, the upward trend in international arrivals is likely to persist, further bolstering economic growth and regional integration,” Shiva told The Herald.
