The Zimbabwean government is proud to be part of a growing African tourism movement, according to the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Tongai Mafidi Mnangagwa, who spoke exclusively to African Times at the Zimbabwe Tourism Stand during the ongoing Africa’s Travel Indaba in Durban.
Speaking amidst a buzz of cultural displays, business meetings, and travel showcases, Mnangagwa was upbeat about this year’s Indaba, describing it as bigger and more impactful than ever before.
“For this year’s Indaba, compared to last year, it’s bigger. It’s definitely bigger and grander than last time,” he said, pointing out the high-level presence at the event. “The mere fact that the (South African) Deputy President, (Paul Mashatile) did the official opening shows the kind of seriousness that the South African government has towards this.”
Hosted annually in Durban, Africa’s Travel Indaba is one of the continent’s premier tourism marketing events, bringing together stakeholders from across Africa and beyond. This year’s event has drawn significant attention for promoting not just South Africa but the wider African continent as a travel destination.
“I picked up that the Indaba is becoming more and more an African event,” said Mnangagwa. “It’s like attracting people to Africa, not just to South Africa. And that’s amazing—what the tourism minister here is doing and the team. They’re giving us a platform as well to showcase what we have in our countries as African brothers.”
A Platform for Pan-African Partnership
Zimbabwe, like many other African countries, used the Indaba to highlight its unique offerings—from majestic landscapes to rich cultural heritage. Mnangagwa said the Zimbabwean stand had seen high levels of engagement since the first day of the event.
“Looking at the statistics and the numbers at our stand, yes, there were serious engagements from day one. Meetings and meetings, synergies between the buyers and the service providers,” he said.
This year, Zimbabwe’s delegation has grown significantly, underscoring the increasing interest in the country’s tourism sector.
“We as a country had more companies, operators, participating this year compared to last year. This time around we’re around 41, yes, compared to 35 from last time. That shows the difference,” Mnangagwa explained. “We’ve got new players as well coming in, interested in participating in such shows.”
According to him, events like Indaba are critical for building long-term partnerships.
“It’s at these events where you are able to find partners and synergize a long-term relationship where there’s a constant flow of visitors into the country from the respective buyers,” the Zimbabwean deputy tourism minister said. “You cannot do it alone. You need to synergize. You need to partner with someone who’s been in the industry for a while—and it looks like it’s happening. We’re proud of our operators.”
Eyes on the East: Zimbabwe Taps into the Chinese Market
The Deputy Minister also shed light on Zimbabwe’s targeted efforts to grow its appeal to the Chinese market—a rapidly expanding segment in global tourism.
“The Chinese market is growing. The main fact that they’ve got billions of people in their country. You’d find that there’s a certain age group that’s interested in traveling. And more and more inquiries are being made about Zimbabwe. And they are coming,” he said.
Zimbabwe has developed a “Look East” policy, which includes strategic partnerships with Chinese-run organizations within Zimbabwe that are helping to bring in group tours from provinces like Hunan.
“We’re working with organizations which are based in Zimbabwe, which are run by Chinese. They’re bringing in groups from China, from different provinces,” said Mnangagwa. “All these people go back and be billboards to say, ‘Hey, Zimbabwe!’ They’ll advertise, they’ll be our ambassadors.”
He added that some of the visitors are being sponsored to visit Zimbabwe, with the understanding that their experiences will help spread positive word-of-mouth in their home countries.
“Initially we’ve identified companies to work with who are bringing in targeted groups who come, who go back and say the message. And they’re bringing also the buyers from the market, sponsoring those tours,” he said.
Regional Integration Is the Future
Mnangagwa also emphasised the need for regional cooperation in marketing tourism, noting that international tourists prefer broader experiences that span multiple countries.
“It would be easier for us to market as a region than to market as individual countries,” he said. “For someone to leave Europe, Frankfurt, and say, ‘I’m going to Zimbabwe for 10 days,’ it’s impossible. What would they be doing in Zimbabwe for 10 days?”
He envisions collaborative tourism packages that connect destinations across Southern Africa—from Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls to Botswana’s Okavango Delta and South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
“We need to bundle these experiences. Let’s market as Southern Africa, as SADC. That way, we offer more and keep tourists here longer,” he urged.
A Brighter Future for African Tourism
Deputy Minister Mnangagwa had an optimistic view of Africa’s rising position in the global tourism sector.
“We are no longer begging for space—we are part of the conversation now,” he said. “Indaba has proven that Africa has the potential, the diversity, and the talent to attract the world. We just need to keep pushing together.”
