By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
MASVINGO — When Zimbabwe’s leaders chose Masvingo to host the 19th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo, they were making a statement.
The message was simple: tourism development must reach every province, every community, every corner of the country.
Masvingo has embraced that challenge with both hands, and the results are visible for all to see.
“The province whose very name is inseparable from the story of our nationhood stands as living proof of what devolved, locally-driven investment can achieve,” said Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi at the Zimbabwe Tourism Investment Forum.
A Historic Choice
The decision to bring the Sanganai Expo to Masvingo was not made lightly. After hosting the 2025 edition in Mutare, the government deliberately chose to continue the expo’s journey across Zimbabwe’s provinces.
The devolved model is designed to spread tourism investment and infrastructure development beyond traditional host cities, ensuring that no one and no place is left behind.
The choice of Masvingo was particularly symbolic. Here, at Great Zimbabwe, the ancestors of modern Zimbabweans built in stone a testimony to ingenuity that still speaks to the world today.
The UNESCO World Heritage Site reminds every investor that Zimbabwe’s tourism offering is not merely about scenery but about civilisation, heritage, and enduring value.
Infrastructure Legacy
The benefits of hosting the expo are already tangible. The Gymkhana Events and Conference Centre, the main venue for the Expo, has undergone a major transformation.
Works are approximately 80 percent complete, with the facility set to include a restaurant, bar, gastronomy hub, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority offices, and a mini-stadium. A conference centre is planned as a future development.
Masvingo Airport has also been refurbished, with road improvements and upgrades to the Expo site strengthening connectivity and leaving infrastructure capable of supporting tourism long after the event ends. The airport refurbishment mirrors similar work undertaken in Mutare when that city hosted the Expo in 2025.
“As we devolve Sanganai Tourism Expo, our objective is to bring tourism infrastructure into the cities,” Tourism Minister Barbara Rwodzi said.
“This year, we are seeing the refurbishment of the Masvingo Airport terminals, the same way that we did with Mutare.”
Investment Opportunities
Beyond infrastructure, Masvingo offers significant investment opportunities. The Tugwi-Mukosi Dam presents a compelling proposition for integrated tourism development.
Finance Minister Ncube challenged stakeholders to look beyond viewing it simply as a tourism attraction and instead develop it as an integrated investment proposition encompassing hospitality, recreation, leisure, water-based tourism, residential development, and events.
“The question should no longer simply be, ‘How do we attract tourists to Tugwi-Mukosi?’ but rather, ‘How do we build an investment destination around Tugwi-Mukosi?'” She said.
Other attractions—Gonarezhou National Park, Lake Mutirikiwi, and the Great Zimbabwe Monuments—offer further opportunities for investment in accommodation, activities, and supporting infrastructure.
Community Benefits
The devolved model ensures that the benefits of tourism investment reach local communities. Buyers attending this year’s expo were deliberately scattered across Masvingo Province—to Chiredzi, Tugwi-Mukosi, Bikita, and Zaka—rather than pooled in one hotel.
“They are here to explore Masvingo so that after Sanganai/Hlanganani they will sell Masvingo Province, not just Victoria Falls, Bulawayo or Harare,” Minister Rwodzi said.
Local businesses have benefited from the influx of visitors. Accommodation establishments, restaurants, tour operators, and other tourism enterprises have reported increased bookings and activity.
The infrastructure being developed for the expo will continue to serve the province for years to come.
A Model for Other Provinces
Masvingo’s success with the devolved expo model provides a blueprint for other provinces. As the expo moves to Mashonaland West next year, the lessons learned in Masvingo will inform how other provinces can leverage their unique tourism assets to attract investment and drive economic development.
“Masvingo stands as living proof,” the introductory speaker said. And indeed, it does—a province that has shown what is possible when investment is devolved, when local assets are leveraged, and when communities are placed at the centre of tourism development.
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