The number of tourists to Zimbabwe this year has more than tripled, according to the President of the Zimbabwe Council of Tourism (ZCT).
While in South Africa recently, ZCT head Emmanuel Fundira reported that 362,000 tourists visited the country up to August this year, compared to 100,000 during the same period in 2008.
A decade ago, Zimbabwe earned US$250-million in revenue from tourism, Mr. Fundira said. This dropped to US$40-million in 2005 but has risen to US$100-million this year.
He attributed the tourism spike to the unity government formed in January between President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. The unity government had brought a measure of political and economic stability, he said, which, together with the lifting of travel bans by several source markets, had driven the tourism industry’s recovery.
However, full recovery is dependent on the success of the new government, which has been turbulent over recent weeks and many fear it is on the brink of collapse.
"The economy has got so much potential but political stability is extremely key," Mr. Fundira said, adding that Zimbabwe hopes to maximise the opportunities arising from South Africa’s hosting of next year’s FIFA World Cup.
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