Zimbabwe registered an 11% increase in tourist arrivals during the first three months of 2008 and anticipates an upsurge in investment in the industry ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup being hosted by neighboring South Africa, an umbrella body for tourism players announced here Tuesday.
Zimbabwe Council for Tourism president Emmanuel Fundira told state radio that arrivals from the traditional source markets have surged since the beginning of the year on the back of the tourism sector’s perception management program aimed at tampering the hostile publicity the country has received since 2000.
The traditional source markets include most European Union countries, the Americas and Asian countries led by China and Japan.
The perception management program has seen the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) organizing trips for foreign journalists to visit and have first-hand experience of the political and economic situation the country.
Fundira also said an unnamed number of foreigners had shown an interest to invest in Zimbabwe’s tourism sector, apparently to take advantage of the expected surge in the number of visitors during the 2010 FIFA World Cup showcase.
South Africa’s neighbors are expected to benefit from its hosting of the tournament through hotel bookings, visits to tourist attractions and general exposure of southern Africa’s diverse cultures, apart from its abundant flora and fauna.
Source African Press Agency
