Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi yesterday told senior defence and security course participants from seven African countries that heritage-based tourism is a strategic tool for safeguarding state identity and halting cultural erosion.
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Read E-PaperShe addressed National Defence Course 15/2026 delegates at the invitation of the Zimbabwe National Defence University (ZNDU). The participants come from Botswana, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Speaking under the theme “Preservation and State Identity: The Adoption of a Heritage-Based Tourism Cluster Approach to Foster National Identity and Prevent Cultural Erosion,” Minister Rwodzi presented the Culture and Heritage Cluster as a key instrument of government policy. The cluster is anchored by the Nhaka Yedu, Ilifa Lethu, Our Heritage campaign, and advances President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa’s Heritage-Based Development philosophy under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030.
She said tourism is expanding its contribution to economic development and soft diplomacy. Domestic tourism recorded 6.4 million trips in the first half of 2026, while tourism receipts rose by 6% and investment grew by 229%.
The Minister set out the six tourism policy pillars and the cluster approach as a framework for diversifying the sector and widening economic opportunities. The clusters span nature and wildlife, rural, MICE, sports and religious tourism. She also pointed to flagship attractions such as Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe and the Eastern Highlands.
Minister Rwodzi singled out cultural festivals, mbira music, the national fabric, township tourism and gastronomy tourism as important expressions of Zimbabwean identity. She added indigenous products, including mapfura wine and matamba and mawuyu juices, to that list.
She affirmed that Zimbabwe’s heritage is a strategic national asset that must be protected, celebrated and shared with the world.
