The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has secured €150 000 from France’s Agence Française de Development to help the sector recover post-COVID.

The funding will boost the National Tourism Growth Strategy – introduced in 2020 – and help to further grow the local industry, which has seen massive losses since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March last year.

ZTA spokesperson, Godfrey Koti, said the full financial impact on the tourism sector was still being evaluated. He said the ZTA planned to spend the money on an industry impact assessment project, tourism recovery implementation framework, institutional strengthening and capacity building. 

Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe President, Clive Chinwada, commented: “Considering that most businesses closed for long periods, we know recovery will take time but we remain optimistic. There is a need for capital injection so that the sector is fully capacitated for growth.”

Director of The Palace Hotel, Tapiwa Gandiwa, said the industry needed a fresh start. "The funding comes at an opportune time when players are seeking ways to revive operations. We hope more such funding will be made available to help the industry recover.”