The Government of Zimbabwe on Wednesday launched national chapters for Women in Tourism and Youth in Tourism, selecting the pioneering National Executives at a ceremony held at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare.
The launch, presided over by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, brought together senior government officials, representatives of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), microfinance institutions and industry stakeholders to formally establish the Women in Tourism Network, the Women in Tourism Chamber, the Youth in Tourism Network and the Youth in Tourism Chamber.
Speaking on behalf of the Permanent Secretary for Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, the Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Youth Council described the development as an important milestone for young people and for the country’s tourism industry, and pledged the Council’s support in registering and institutionally strengthening the new structures.
“The real success of this initiative will be measured by whether it creates opportunities for young people,” the CEO said, posing whether a young entrepreneur in Victoria Falls, Kariba, Hwange, Mutare or Masvingo would now find a genuine pathway into the tourism economy.
Addressing delegates, the Secretary for Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Dr Tsitsi Munyanyiwa, situated the launch within the National Development Strategy 2 and Vision 2030, crediting Tourism Patron and First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s programmes, among them Gastronomy Tourism, the Women and Youth Business Forum and Agric-for-She, with transforming livelihoods and anchoring the country’s ambition of an upper middle-income society by 2030.
Dr Munyanyiwa cited Zimbabwe’s recognition by Forbes Magazine and Conde Nast as a top destination, alongside a Gold Award at the 2026 Chinese Tourists Awards, and noted that the First Lady had separately been honoured by the UN Tourism-linked Tourism World Board as “the Queen of Gastronomy Tourism in Africa.”
She linked this momentum to Zimbabwe’s hosting of the second United Tourism Regional Congress on Women Empowerment in Tourism in Africa, held in Victoria Falls from 28 April to 1 May 2026 under the theme “advancing women from empowerment to leadership.”
According to figures she presented, international tourist arrivals climbed 11 percent in the first quarter of the year, from 347,555 to 384,561, while domestic tourism trips rose 35 percent, from 1.94 million to 2.62 million. Tourism investment, she added, surged by 438 percent over the same period.
She urged the incoming executives, whom she described as standing at the apex of the new structures, to execute their duties diligently and professionally, cautioning that the success of the chapters at both national and provincial level now rested in their hands.
The Permanent Secretary for Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Dr Mavis Sibanda, said the selection of the National Executive created a strategic platform for national coordination, policy engagement, advocacy and business development support for women across the tourism value chain.
Dr Sibanda observed that many women in the sector still faced barriers including limited access to finance, markets, technology and decision-making platforms, and said the new Chamber and Network offered an institutional mechanism to close those gaps in line with President Mnangagwa’s mantra of “leaving no one and no place behind.” She encouraged the incoming leadership to prioritise mentorship of young women entrepreneurs and digital innovation.
The ZTA Chief Executive Officer, Dr G. Manyaya, was unable to attend the ceremony, and his way-forward remarks were read on his behalf by Dr Munyanyiwa. In the address, he said the executive committees would receive a draft constitutional framework to adapt with input from members, alongside a mandate to recruit members across all provinces, prepare annual work plans and build a centralised member database covering names, contact details, areas of expertise and regions.
The National Executive is expected to be formally launched during this year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo in Masvingo.