The National Tourism Policy
- To encourage development of a national identity and promote a culture of national pride through tourism.
- To promote gender equality and empower women and youth to participate in mainstream economic activities through tourism.
- To improve the quality of life for Zimbabweans through equitable geographic distribution of tourism products.
- To leverage all the social and economic roles of tourism to advance Zimbabwe’s interests.
- To instill a sense of National pride in all Zimbabweans and build social and national cohesion.
- To provide easy entry into the mainstream economy by all sections of society with emphasis on women and youth.
The Policy was crafted after consultations between the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) , Zimbabwe Council for Tourism and the academia. One aspect of the policy is that of tapping into religious tourism. Out of 1,1 billion global tourism arrivals recorded in 2013, religious and faith based tourism brought in 300 million, which is a huge chunk. The country now needs to demonstrate the significance of the church as a market. Another aspect of the Policy is regional marketing and promotion of tourist resorts. Each region or province of the country is a tourism hub. The Policy also provides for the enshrinement of liberation struggle battles. In the past, Zimbabwe has been failing to turn the various venues of liberation war battles into tourist attractions. The Policy also provides for the rebranding of the various ruins dotted around the country into ancient cities. Ruins suggest abandonment while ancient cities give them the contemporary importance of historical times.
The National Tourism Policy is envisaged to result in an upsurge of tourist arrivals thereby improving the economy in general. It is also expected to instill a sense of pride in Zimbabweans in their country’s rich natural heritage. Revenue streams from new markets such as churches are expected to rise as a result of the policy. Zimbabweans are expected to have an increased appreciation of their history and heritage.
-The total amount that the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry received for programmes during the period under review is $68295.