Staff Writer
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Hon Barbara Rwodzi has emphasised the importance of reciprocity in visa arrangements saying Zimbabwe is taking a cautious approach to fully liberalizing its visa policy.
Speaking at the recently held 2nd UN Tourism Summit for Africa and Americas in Livingstone, Zambia, Minister Rwodzi called for stronger, and beneficial partnerships between governments and tourism industry players to drive growth and development in the sector.
She also held a bilateral meeting with the UN Tourism Secretary-General, Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili on the side-lines of the Summit, to discuss areas of mutual interest.
A key highlight of their engagement was a progress update on the establishment of the African International Academy for Culinary Arts, a collaborative initiative between Zimbabwe and UN Tourism, being championed under the esteemed patronage of the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Her Excellency Dr. A. Mnangagwa.
The Summit builds on the success of the Inaugural Event held in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic in October 2024 and is being attended by Tourism Ministers from across Africa and the Americas, Government Officials, industry leaders and tourism experts.
The Summit is running under the theme “Advancing Resilient Tourism through Connectivity, Investment and Skilled Workforce Development.”
The High-Level Summit stressed the need for tourism resilience building, attracting investment and advancing education and skills in the tourism sector.
It also aims to enhance regional integration, drive economic growth in both continents and create a more inclusive tourism including the involvement of local communities, farmers and women and the youth in the tourism value chain.
Minister Rwodzi underscored Zimbabwe’s commitment to achieving Upper Middle-Income status by 2030 and the contribution of Tourism in achieving this goal.
She highlighted that, under the visionary leadership of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa, and his Government has made notable progress in improving air connectivity and this includes the refurbishment and expansion of three major international airports — Robert Gabriel Mugabe, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo, and Victoria Falls — to meet international standards.
Victoria Falls Airport, in particular, has emerged as the largest and a key aviation hub within the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) region allowing large airplanes to land with tourists for Zimbabwe and the other KAZA countries.
The Minister emphasized that the poor air connectivity in Africa is a critical policy issue that African Governments must address as a matter of urgency as Tourism is the upcoming industry and to be the biggest contributor to many African countries GDPs given the climate change crisis that is affecting Agriculture and fluctuating global prices of metals in the Mining sector.
She called for deliberate and strategic investments by African governments in national airlines to prioritize and strengthen intra-African connectivity.
Further, she highlighted Zimbabwe’s achievements in tourism development, with a strong emphasis on industry skills training, investment in tourism infrastructure — particularly in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) facilities — improved connectivity, and the implementation of more flexible visa regimes.
These efforts, she noted, are central to building a resilient and sustainable tourism sector across Africa and the Americas.
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