Zimbabwe’s participation at Africa Travel Week – which included World Travel Market (WTM) Africa 2022 – in Cape Town last week was called a “resounding success” by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) who said it had kick-started the tourism sector’s recovery post-COVID.
This year’s event – held at the Cape Town Convention Centre from April 11-13 – drew over 500 hosted buyers and more than 400 exhibitors.
A spokesperson for the ZTA said international travel shows such as those would go a long way towards building a positive image and confidence for destination Zimbabwe.
"Going forward, Zimbabwe will participate at a number of regional and international tourism shows in key source markets as part of the National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy,” the spokesman added.
Ambitious target for tourism growth
The government has introduced a number of incentives, seen as crucial to economic recovery, to ensure the sector recovers quickly so that it reaches the target of becoming a US$5 billion industry by 2025.
According to the ZTA, these incentives include making it attractive for airlines to introduce more direct flights, waiving the need for PCR tests for vaccinated travellers, and encouraging public- and private-sector suppliers to make tourism products and attractions more affordable to the domestic market.