VICE-PRESIDENT Joice Mujuru will today launch a tourism blueprint which is expected to make the sector generate $5 billion annually by 2020.
BUSINESS REPORTER
The industry is currently generating $1 billion.
The National Tourism Policy (NTP) is meant to transform the sector into one of the highest earners in terms of revenue generation. The launch of the policy follows consultation involving the ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe Council for Tourism and the academia.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry minister Walter Mzembi said attempts to craft the policy in the past had failed. He said NTP will be a revision of a policy produced during the inclusive government and passed by Cabinet in 2012.
The policy emphasis is on the fact that tourism is government-led, but private sector-driven.
The policy will treat the whole country as tourism development zones and looks at other tourism opportunities such as religious, agro, industry, township and mining tourism to lure tourists and grow the sector contribution to total revenue.
Today’s event will also see the Celebration Centre being conferred as a religious tourism site.
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Mzembi said religious tourism was contributing a significant chunk to global tourism arrivals.
He said of the 1,1 billion global arrivals recorded in 2013, religious and faith-based tourism brought in 300 million.
“We want to demonstrate the significance of the church as a market,” he said.
Mzembi said by tapping into religious tourism, the country won’t become a net loser as was currently the case.
“We can ride on that and attract the world to our local prophets,” he said.
