Speaking at the sidelines of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo held in Bulawayo, Godfrey Koti, Head of Corporate Affairs at Zimbabwe Tourism Authority told the Holiday Guide magazine about the importance of the Middle East tourist market in the future growth of Zimbabwe's tourism sector.
"We are expecting a growth of approximately 20 per cent in the inbound tourist traffic from the Middle East region," he said. "Improved air connectivity, ease of travel and Zimbabwe's abundant tourist attractions are sure to attract more tourists from the Middle East region in the coming years," says an optimistic Godfrey Koti.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority aims to attract over five million tourists by 2021 following the completion of $150m upgrade to Victoria Falls International Airport in 2017 – which now has the capacity to service wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 777 and Airbus A340 planes.
Zimbabwe's Tourist Attractions
The Victoria Falls National Park is the main tourist attraction in Zimbabwe and is one of the eight main National Parks in Zimbabwe, largest of which is Hwange National Park. The country also offers exciting wildlife safaris where one can see lions, cheetahs, zebras, rhinos, wildebeest, hippos, impala, giraffe, jackals, sables, and a wide variety of birdlife roaming the expansive savannah.
On our recent visit to Zimbabwe, we saw elephants everywhere, sometimes in herds of over a hundred, moving up and down their migratory route to and from Botswana.
Besides enjoying the dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife, you can also enjoy a lazy cruise on the Zambezi River, visit the famous Victoria Falls, go white-water rafting in the gushing white waters and bungee-jump from atop the Victoria Falls bridge.
Focus on the Middle East Tourist Market
"We welcome visitors from the Middle East," said Godfrey Koti. "With the aim of further consolidating bilateral trade and tourism ties between the the United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe, we will be leading a special delegation from Zimbabwe's tourism and hospitality to our National Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. We also participated in the Arabian Travel Market held in Dubai to create awareness about Zimabwe's varied tourist attractions," he said.
Emirates operates daily flights between Dubai and Harare via Lusaka.
