Zimbabwe’s Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Prisca Mupfumira, has said the country will intensify tourism marketing efforts in Asia and the Middle East.

According to The Chronicle, Mupfumira says Zimbabwe has placed a lot of emphasis on European markets, and will now begin to diversify its efforts, adding “we will be going on an Arabian tour to market Zimbabwe, and later to India as well”.

She also touched on the importance of the Chinese market. On her recent trip to China with Zimbabwe’s President, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mupfumira said they were able to cultivate positive relationships in both the public and private sectors. “I have never seen such a big delegation of Zimbabwean businessmen meeting with Chinese businessmen.”

Mupfumira said government and industry stakeholders were working tirelessly to improve the country’s tourism products. A key aspect of this work is improving air access to major tourist destinations. “We are working with partners to ensure there is air transport connectivity between Harare and the major tourist destinations,” she said. This comes off the back of the 2016 refurbishment of Victoria Falls International Airport, which has already facilitated an influx of visitors into that area.