Tourism to contribute double digit earnings to economy

Published: 25 June 2014

TOURISM and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi has said the tourism sector will in the next six years contribute double digit earnings to the country's economy.

Addressing more than 300 guests at the on-going Routes Africa summit in Victoria Falls yesterday, Eng Mzembi said they had set 2020 as the year when the goal should be achieved.

"Africa tourism's single digit performance is dismal. We should aim for bi-lateral agreements to help us earn more for our economies through tourism. In Zimbabwe we are aiming for double digit earnings from tourism by the year 2020," he said.

The sector currently contributes less than 10 percent to the country's GDP.

Eng Mzembi said the low performance was a result of lack of will and support from authorities.

"We have had 50 bilateral agreements since 1980 and the last one took about 12 years to be signed. One wonders if there is any seriousness if we take such a number of years to sign an agreement."

There was a need for a mindset change while encouraging other countries to craft a "brand Africa" campaign to fight from the same end in promoting tourism through opening borders and the skies.

"Team Zimbabwe knows that we have crafted our modus operandi of four Gs – get them in, get their money, get them out and get them back," Eng Mzembi said.

"Some sectors view tourism as a peripheral area without benefit to the economy. We should learn from the South African economy where tourism contributes about $12 billion to the national economy. South Africa has opened its borders and showed that it is possible for African countries to achieve double digit earnings from tourism."

His counterpart from Zambia, Jean Kapata, said there was a need for governments to realise that the tourism sector had moved from being a social sector into an economic one.

"In Zambia, tourism was initially a social sector but it is now an economic sector creating jobs for citizens. We should as African countries try and change our view of the sector and make it part of the economy," she said.
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