ZIMBABWE’S tourism receipts increased by a remarkable 22 percent last year to reach US$1,1 billion, while international tourist arrivals stood at 1,6 million, up from one million in 2022, signalling a strong recovery of the sector following a devastating Covid-19 pandemic.
The tourism industry, which is one of the country’s major economic sectors contributing at least 5 percent to the gross domestic product, was hardest hit as the world imposed travel restrictions and national lockdowns to combat Covid-19, a respiratory infection that was first detected in China in December 2019 before spreading worldwide.
In 2022, the sector recorded US$911 million in revenues. Since the lifting of travel restrictions and national lockdowns by the World Health Organisation in 2022, Zimbabwe’s tourism sector and that of the globe have been on a major rebound as people visited the country on business and educational missions, as well as leisure activities like safari hunting and sporting.
