“We Measure Tourism in Livelihoods, Not Arrivals”-Min. Rwodzi

Zimbabwe has pledged to lead a “resilient, inclusive and regenerative” tourism revolution, with Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Hon. Barbara Rwodzi telling the WTM Ministers’ Summit 2026 in London that the sector’s success must be measured in livelihoods, not arrival figures alone.

Addressing the summit, organised in partnership with UN Tourism and the WTTC under the theme “Strengthening Tourism for a Resilient and Regenerative Future,” Hon. Rwodzi reaffirmed Harare’s commitment to climate-resilient tourism and welcomed the launch of the official logo for the 2027 International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism, set to be unveiled at the 23rd UN Tourism Meeting in Victoria Falls in April 2027.

She reiterated Zimbabwe’s foreign policy principle of “A friend to all and an enemy to none,” underscoring the importance of peace, stability and international cooperation in tourism development.

Highlighting the effects of climate change and drought on wildlife, biodiversity and tourism infrastructure, Hon. Rwodzi called for collective action and sustainable water solutions, acknowledging Government’s dam construction programme under President Cde Dr E.D. Mnangagwa as critical to strengthening water security and sustaining wildlife and conservancies.

Hon. Rwodzi identified people and communities as Zimbabwe’s greatest tourism assets and custodians of its heritage, stressing that tourism must improve livelihoods and deliver tangible community benefits, and highlighting how Vision 2030 and Agenda 2063 are being advanced through gastronomy tourism, rural industrialisation and the farm-to-market model.

She recognised the First Lady, Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa, Patron of Tourism, for championing traditional cuisine, which has helped position Zimbabwe as host of the inaugural UN Tourism continental gastronomy conference, and highlighted Air Zimbabwe’s direct Harare–London service as a boost to connectivity and an opportunity to showcase Zimbabwean cuisine.

She noted that tourism accounts for 10 percent of national GDP, stressing that the sector can sustain the country’s GDP when other sectors face challenges-as happened in 2024 when minerals were hit by a global price crisis and agriculture was heavily affected by climate change while industry was still shaping up.

“Zimbabwe’s tourism success is measured not by international and domestic tourist arrivals, but by the sector’s contribution to GDP and, more importantly, the tangible socio-economic impact of its value chain in transforming the livelihoods of communities, who are the custodians of the rich heritage that Zimbabwe showcases to the world,” Hon. Rwodzi said.

She emphasized the importance of tourism in transforming the livelihoods of ordinary and marginalised Zimbabweans who are part of the tourism value chain, ensuring they meaningfully benefit from the sector’s growth and that this translates into improved livelihoods and the attainment of Upper Middle-Income Society status by 2030, in line with President Mnangagwa’s vision.

UN Tourism’s Secretary-General welcomed her contribution and highlighted tourism intelligence, data sharing and standardised analytics as priorities for measuring tourism’s true economic and social impact across member states.