Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s (ZTA) Acting Chief Executive Mr Givemore Chidzidzi singled out domestic tourism as key in post-COVID-19 tourism recovery efforts according to information from a workshop that took place in Harare this week.
Chidzidzi was presenting the Destination Zimbabwe Tourism Recovery draft Plan themed: “Supporting jobs, serving the national economy”.
The chief executive presence the draft plan in the background of the COVID-19 pandemic that may result in the tourism sector losing up to US$1 billion in potential revenue.
Members of the tourism sectors have agreed, under such circumstances, the need for timely disbursement of the $500 million stimulus package by Government.
Chidzidzi said the plan outlines measures to be undertaken by Government, the tourism industry and stakeholders to address the negative effects of the COVID-19 on the tourism sector.
“The decline in international arrivals in Africa was less than 10% whereas overseas markets had a decline of more than 10% with Asia and Europe both experiencing a 20% decline. Middle East, however, had an increase of 20%,” he said.
Besides the aiming on domestic tourism, the Tourism Recovery Plan seeks the following.
The plan seeks to provide relief packages to affected tourism businesses including small businesses within the tourism value chain.
It attempts to provide a soft landing for the tourism industry as they re-open their enterprises to the market.
The presented idea also seeks to save and secure jobs from being lost in the tourism value chain.
One of the achievements the plan aims for is to re-establish contact with the local, regional and international tourism market.
It is also meant to reassure confidence in the marketplace and encourage visitors to travel to and within Zimbabwe thereby boosting tourist arrivals and tourism revenue and also roll rollout campaigns informing the marketplace that Zimbabwe’s tourism business is back.
