45 Percent Increase in Tourist Arrivals

Source: The Herald (Harare)

Date: 27 October 2006

Author: Anon

ZIMBABWE recorded a 45 percent increase in tourist arrivals in the first nine months of 2006 compared to the same period last year, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has said.

Speaking at the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism congress, ZTA chief executive officer, Karikoga Kaseke, said arrivals increased from 1 104 368 in the first nine months of 2005 to 1 596 364 for the same period this year.

"The first nine months of 2006 have already surpassed the total number of arrivals of 2005 and, if this is anything to go by, the decline is coming to an end," he said.

"We now have to make sure that we do not experience a decline in 2007."

He said tourist arrivals from Africa increased by 52 percent, Germany by 70percent, Middle East (160 percent) China (30 percent) and other Asian countries by 30 percent.

Kaseke said arrivals from Europe had declined by 20 percent, United Kingdom and Ireland by 57 percent and those from the Americas by nine percent.

The ZTA chief executive said there had been a decrease in room and bed occupancies due to the erosion of spending power for the domestic market.

Kaseke said they were unhappy with the time it was taking Cabinet to approve the tourism policy, adding the tourism master plan would be ready by March 2007.

He said they had set targets for trade attaches to bring in a certain number of tourists from the base countries and if they failed, they would be redeployed or be dismissed from their posts.