CLOUDINE MATOLA
Tourist arrivals to Zimbabwe fell by 54% to 1,043,781 in 2022 from 2,292,929 in 2019, primarily as a result of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, the Business Times can report.
Mthuli Ncube, the Minister of Finance, Economic Development, and Investment Promotion, disclosed this during the presentation of his pre-Budget paper.
The government identified tourism, along with mining and agriculture, as essential to economic growth.
According to Ncube, the tourism industry is vital to Zimbabwe’s economy.
After mining and agriculture, it is one of Zimbabwe’s main sources of foreign currency.
It also makes a big contribution to the nation’s GDP.
Government is working to rebrand Zimbabwe and has established the Tourism Revolving Fund (TRF) to provide financial resources for tourism development.
According to the government report, the airlines experienced a resurgence in 2023, rising from 16 to 17.
It also shows that, in contrast to 2022, when six airlines were introduced, just one airline was introduced in 2023.
