Zimbabwe needs to define its character and predictability in offering tourism services at its unique tourism touchpoint. When predictable, there will be satisfaction and sustained engagement with tourism services for the collective good of the country and its developmental trajectory. Of course, it is a critical path to follow, just as in any other business, where we move from one end to the other in pursuit of improvement.
The ZimBho tourism campaign is a promising avenue, all things being equal, for building brand predictability and positioning the country as a competitive destination for tourists both domestically and internationally.
Zimbabwe’s tourism trajectory anchored on National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), can be the innovative approach that views tourism not only as scenic viewing but also as a transformative tool for integrated socio-economic development. Here, we go beyond satisfying tourists’ eyes with our unique flora and fauna to include exhibitions of creative arts, indigenous knowledge, cultural exchange, local cuisines, and AI augmentation for heritage tourism, all driven by sustainability as a catalyst for conservation and protected tourism.
Our Zimbabwe tourism sector has been tried and tested and has weathered shocks and pressures from traditional markets, overcoming the negatives that have muddled its global brand appeal, especially in Western markets. Various agents, through traditional and contemporary media, spread news to their citizens that Zimbabwe was an unsafe tourist destination. Despite this rough patch, which intensified as early as the year 2000, the campaign, coupled with the predictable character, can turn the tide, “A World of Wonders”, inspired by ZimBho.
Recent 2024-2025 statistics indicate stronger performance in 2026 and beyond. In this age of data mining, numbers speak to the present and the future. Zimstats’ projections for Zimbabwe’s tourism sector indicate that tourist arrivals rose from 450922 in the third quarter of 2024 to 496668 in the same period of 2025 (a 10.1% increase). This may indicate that Zimbabwe is open for business as it moves toward becoming a middle- to upper-class economy by 2030, from a once “unsafe tourism destination” to the “World’s Best Country to Visit”.
This calls for the continued pressing on the mark of policymakers, marketing strategists, tourism researchers, project funders, and training and education institutions whose collaborative efforts appear to be bearing fruit, with the hope of even better outcomes in the future by a whole-of-government approach that mitigates investments in tourism and maintains a competitive environment that lures tourists to the country’s destinations and investments.
As we enter 2026, inspired by this significant achievement, we encourage continued innovation from all stakeholders in Zimbabwe’s tourism industry through public-private partnerships. Just a reminder: every space within our communities is an opportunity for tourism. That is why we have various forms, including agritourism, business tourism, health tourism, community-based tourism, religious tourism, and so forth. The list is endless. This means everyone has a role to play and can benefit in this industry; it is not low-hanging fruit.
For successful tourism, there should be a balanced allocation of effort among the three main divisions of the tourism industry: travel, accommodation, and resorts. The common denominator and connector for these is “sustainability”. Hence, for the Zimbabwe tourism brand, to accelerate quickly in this dawn of greatness, it should be anchored in sustainable innovation.
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Travelling across all the provinces in Zimbabwe confirms the wonders Zimbabwe is endowed with, though most remain inaccessible. In addition to adventure jungle and mountain tourism, most of our tourists want timely access to tourist sites and activities without hassle. Here, as tourism planners, we still have a task to address: most of our potential tourism sites are not accessible by the primary mode of transport, the road system. Naming the places might derail the already moving wagon of progressive tourism, but we know that even some of our most prominent tourism heritage sites are not easily accessible. There is a need for innovation to improve accessibility and enhance the tourism sector in Zimbabwe. Even with the government’s efforts to rehabilitate road networks across the country, more still needs to be done to improve them. A vibrant tourism destination should be accessible by all modes of transportation: road, rail, air, and sea. Our reflection calls for more effort to develop innovative accessibility strategies for 2026.
Another cornerstone of strengthening tourism infrastructure development is the public-pPrivate partnership (PPP) strategy, a collaborative development model. This will involve broad sharing of innovative designs, prototyping, simulations, and actual infrastructure development. It should also be an opportunity for young girls, youths, women, and those living with disabilities to participate, especially as entrepreneurs. In the same vein, communities surrounding tourism sites should be engaged, as they can contribute their indigenous knowledge and skills to develop alternative eco-friendly access routes for sustainable tourism.
The agenda outlined above has recently been demonstrated through the innovative facilities at the Baradzanwa Cultural Leisure Village in Mazowe. This approach can also be applied to other potential tourism areas across the country. Our innovation in resorts should not be a way of modernising at the expense of destruction, especially of nature’s aesthetic attributes (these should remain intact). Simplified modernisation, while preserving the originality of our endowments and natural resources, will continue to position us as a unique tourism destination worldwide through conservation. Even the accommodation provided should better reflect our heritage, with traditional designs and modern furnishings (blended design and ambience). The way we wish to visit high skyscrapers in other parts of the world, such as Silicon Valley, the Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, and so forth, is the same way they also wish to be in our well-conserved huts, wilderness, cultural heritage, and other traditional settings. From the same viewpoint, the Zimbabwe tourism brand should emphasise heritage, promote peace and community engagement, and reflect sustainability and oneness as trajectories towards a vibrant Zimbabwe tourism brand. Remembering the strengthening pillars for a strong Zimbabwe tourism brand equity, which are a good image, a positive perception of the brand quality, and good association, will ultimately result in high loyalty, as anticipated for socio-economic growth through tourism.
- Dr Farai Chigora is a businessman and academic. He is the head of business science at Africa University’s College of Business, Peace, Leadership, and Governance. His doctoral research focused on Business Administration (Destination Marketing and Branding Major, UKZN, SA). He can be contacted for feedback at [email protected] or via WhatsApp mobile: +263772886871.
- Dr Tabani Moyo is an extra-ordinary researcher with the University of North West, South Africa’s Social Transformation School. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration (Research focus on new media and corporate reputation management, UKZN), chartered marketer, fellow CIM, communications and reputation management expert based in Harare. He can be contacted at [email protected] @TabaniMoyo (X)
