Zimbabwe has called on member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to use their shared wildlife, natural wonders and cultural heritage to attract more visitors across the region.
Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Hon Barbara Rwodzi made the appeal at a tourism and cultural night at Heritage Village in Harare, held as part of the 25th COMESA Heads of State and Government Summit.
The summit, which ends on 22 October 2026, is being held under the theme “One Market, One Future: Advancing Inclusive Industrialisation, Investment and Regional Integration in COMESA”.
Minister Rwodzi said countries should work together to encourage cross-border travel and market Africa as a single destination.
She described tourism as a “natural export” that could create economic opportunities across the continent.
Speaking in the spirit of the government’s foreign policy position that “Zimbabwe is a friend to all and an enemy to none”, the minister urged African nations to rally around the idea of “One Africa, One Love”.
She pointed to the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (Kaza), which links Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Angola, as a model of regional co-operation.
Calls for stronger links
Comesa Secretary-General Chileshe Mpundu Kapwepwe called for stronger tourism links between destinations, businesses and markets.
The guest of honour, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Amon Murwira, said cultural connections were the foundation for tourism, trade and investment.
Delegates at the event sampled Zimbabwe’s cuisine and celebrated the continent’s cultural diversity.
Organisers said the evening also highlighted the part played by business events, known as MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), and gastronomy tourism in enriching the experience of visitors.
Tourism figures
Zimbabwe recorded about 1.78 million tourist arrivals in 2025, according to figures cited at the event.
Tourism receipts for the year were put at $1.3bn (£1bn), with both indicators up by 10%.
Domestic tourism also grew, with trips rising by 27% to 6.4 million in the first half of 2026.
The figures, the government says, show the sector’s ability to drive economic growth and create jobs.
It argues they strengthen the case for joint destination marketing, more investment and easier movement of people across borders.
Officials say this would help position Zimbabwe, branded “A World of Wonders”, within a more connected African tourism economy.
