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Prosper Ndlovu, Business Editor
GOVERNMENT is confident that the US$5 billion tourism economy target will be achieved by 2025 despite the crippling impact of Covid-19 on the sector.

Globally, international tourist arrivals dropped by 65 percent from January to May this year, according to official data, while arrivals into Africa during the same period fell by 81 percent compared to last year.
Similarly, arrivals into Zimbabwe during the first half of 2021 decreased by 72 percent.

Faced with this scenario the industry has to be resilient and more creative to win the trust of tourists still fearful to travel and do more to deliver utmost care to health and hygiene standards and higher levels of customer care.

Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Mangaliso Ndlovu, said this while addressing the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Annual Congress last Thursday.

He told delegates that the tourism sector plays a pivotal role in job creation and linkages along the wider supply chain, which make unlocking its potential more urgent.

While acknowledging the dampening effect of the pandemic on the travel and tourism industry, Minister Ndlovu said the country was taking bold steps to ensure the sector’s recovery.

“The travel and tourism sector has been hard hit by the novel coronavirus, which has forced most industries down to their knees. Zimbabwe has not been spared,” he said.

Minister Ndlovu said from a strategic visionary point of view, Covid-19 has had a devastating effect but has also presented the sector with a great opportunity to become innovative and offer exceptional experience as it adapts to and embrace the new normal.

“I urge industry players to continue to work hard as we walk our journey towards a US$5 billion Tourism Economy by 2025,” he said.

Although there has been a marked decrease in tourist arrivals in the course of the year due to lockdown travel restrictions, Minister Ndlovu said the sector was registering “noble increase” in new investments, particularly in hotel accommodation.

“Numerous facilities are being developed and a number of facilities are being refurbished despite the challenges. Our assessment based on data from ZTA, shows that more than US$100 million has been invested in new tourism facilities this year and this includes key milestone investments such as Palm River Hotel whose construction commenced during the Covid-19 era,” he said.

Minister Ndlovu said Government was willing and ready to partner the tourism players in offering specific incentives.

He said Government was concerned that the banking sector is reluctant to fund the tourism sector in view of the Covid-19 dent.

Minister Ndlovu said to mitigate the perceived risks, Government intends to establish the Tourism Revolving Fund.

“This proposal as you know, has been on the cards for many years but I’m glad to advise you that Cabinet has since approved the setting up of this facility,” said Minister Ndlovu.

He said Government will provide seed capital for the setting up of the fund.

Minister Ndlovu said while industry has put some strategies to manage the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is faced with yet another very worrisome phenomenon, climate change.