Zimbabwe’s tourism and hospitality industry forecasts a boost to the sector following the government’s relaxing of restrictions in place to curb the spread of Covid.

The country’s acting President and Minister of Health, Costantino Chiwenga announced the relaxation of the Level 2 lockdown restrictions, and according to Anald Musonza, the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) chairperson for Matabeleland North, the removal of compulsory quarantine for visitors had sparked renewed interest in travelling to Zimbabwe.

“With the relaxation of the Statutory Instrument (SI) on travel restrictions like the 10-day quarantine, we have started seeing some positive green shoots in new inquiries into our destination,” he stated. “We are sure there is a demand out there and more people want to travel into our destination.”

During the pandemic, Victoria Falls, which solely relies on tourism and hospitality, was the worst affected.

The easing of mandatory quarantine restrictions by the government follows an announcement by the World Health Organization stating travel restrictions are not effective in curbing the global spread of the virus.

This echoed the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO)’s caution against the use of blanket restrictions. “When it comes to stopping the spread of the new virus variants, blanket travel restrictions are simply counterproductive,” UNWTO secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili commented. “In fact, by cutting the lifeline of tourism, these restrictions do more harm than good, especially in destinations reliant on international tourists for job, economic wellbeing and sustainable change.”

UNWTO has reported that tourism is rallying, increasing 4% in 2021, with revenue rising to around US$1.9 trillion. Global tourism experienced a 4% uptick last year, rising to 415 million compared to 400 million the year before. Before the Covid pandemic, global tourism revenue stood at US$3.5 trillion, reports CAJ News.

In Zimbabwe, the tourism industry contributed more than 10% to GDP.