Japanese Tourist Arrivals to Zimbabwe Jump 47% as Bilateral Tourism Ties Strengthen

Zimbabwe recorded a sharp increase in tourist arrivals from Japan last year, with visitor numbers rising by almost half as the two countries deepen cooperation in tourism promotion, investment and cultural exchange.

Official figures from the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry show that arrivals from Japan increased from 10,692 in 2024 to 15,704 in 2025, representing a 46.9 per cent rise. The growth comes amid intensified efforts by Harare and Tokyo to strengthen bilateral relations through tourism.

The latest developments emerged on Tuesday when Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Maekawa Nobutaka paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Barbara Rwodzi, to review progress in implementing tourism cooperation initiatives.

The meeting focused on destination marketing, tourism investment, technical cooperation, skills development and capacity building under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Zimbabwe and the Japan Tourism Agency in July 2025.

Ambassador Maekawa commended Zimbabwe for raising its profile on the international tourism stage, citing the country’s participation at Expo 2025 Osaka as a notable success.

According to the ambassador, Zimbabwe’s pavilion attracted about 4,000 visitors every day during the global exhibition and generated significant interest among Japanese travellers, particularly in the country’s flagship attraction, Victoria Falls.

He also welcomed the recent Zimbabwe Tourism Promotion Workshop, which brought together 25 Japanese tour operators, saying such engagements would help convert interest in Zimbabwe into actual visitor arrivals.

“Zimbabwe must broaden its marketing efforts by highlighting destinations beyond Victoria Falls, including Mana Pools National Park and the Matobo Hills, while proposing that the country showcase its tourism products through Japanese television programmes to reach a wider audience,” he said.

He further pledged Japan’s continued support through the deployment of Japanese volunteers to assist in tourism promotion and other collaborative initiatives.

Responding to the ambassador’s remarks, Minister Rwodzi said Zimbabwe remained committed to strengthening its partnership with Japan and expanding opportunities for cooperation across the tourism value chain.

She invited the Japanese Embassy to participate in this year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, describing the event as an important platform for building partnerships and promoting Zimbabwe to international markets.

The minister also acknowledged the contribution of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to development projects in Zimbabwe and said there was scope to expand cooperation in areas such as translation and interpretation services, cultural exchange programmes and destination marketing through Japanese volunteers.

“The government would continue pursuing policies aimed at increasing international tourist arrivals, attracting investment into the tourism sector and strengthening strategic partnerships in line with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2,” she said.

The steady growth in Japanese arrivals adds to Zimbabwe’s efforts to diversify its source markets beyond traditional regions, with authorities increasingly targeting Asia as a key driver of future tourism growth. Officials believe stronger institutional cooperation, sustained marketing campaigns and improved international visibility will continue to boost visitor numbers and investment in the sector.