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Zimbabwe’s tourism industry has always exuded immense potential such that it is not difficult to believe Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Engineer Walter Mzembi, when he says tourism will contribute US$5 billion to the Gross Domestic Product directly and indirectly by 2018.
He says he is banking on a strong spiritual foundation based on Isaiah 60:11.
He has interpreted this into what he calls the three Gs:  Get them In, Get their money, Get them out. This may sound mean to some extent and yet is so true and so real. Toursim is about attracting visitors, making them spend their money and ensuring they go back to their homes safe and sound, without overstaying their welcome.

It is possible that Zimbabwe can achieve the numbers Minister Mzembi has put on the table. I have followed this sector with keen interest since I was a cub reporter and I have reasonable knowledge about its potential.

My passion for this sector developed a long time ago when I would do interviews way back in the 1990s with the late Nelson Samkange, who was then the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Tourist Development Centre before it was transformed to become the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

The likes of Herbert Nkala, who was the president of the Zimbabwe Tourism Council around that time, also gave me real insight into the potential resident in the sector. These men felt at home and were so passionate about their work it was contagious. At that point in the 90s, the sector was expected to have grown to become Zimbabwe’s major foreign currency earner and all seemed set for that to happen.

But a sudden turn of events around 2000 when the country started receiving negative publicity induced by the land reform programme which the West was very much against, took its toll and left the tourism sector wounded. Travel warnings were issued and all sorts of untruths spoken or written about Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, perception has the habit of being considered as fact once its held for long enough.

Some tourists would not come to Zimbabwe fearing for their lives and tourism wholesalers removed this country from  their lists of potential destinations. The numbers went down drastically consequently. But with time, the truth began to dawn on the international community that Zimbabwe was not as bad as it was portrayed and that, in fact, it was the place to be for a true African experience.

Recovery in terms of arrivals has begun to show over the last few years, giving Minister Mzembi the confidence to release colossal figures such as US$5 billion GDP contribution by this sector within the next four years. What has also given him such optimism is the development of various forms of tourism such as agro-tourism and religious tourism, which could benefit the economy immensely in terms of earnings, receipts and enhancing Zimbabwe’s visibility on the global arena.

Minister Mzembi himself is on record as saying these forms of tourism will spur growth in a sector whose potential has largely remained untapped. His maths is certainly not wrong when he takes such factors into play and announces tourism will be a multi-billion dollar sector within the next few years. This sounds quite ambitious but you cannot fault him here given his vantage point and his kind of exposure to developments in the sector.

In this instalment I will dwell more on religious tourism given the big event before us. Zimbabwe is about to witness an influx of tourists, with at least 8 000 of them expected next week for the United Family International Church’s Judgement Night 2 slated for April 19 at the giant National Sports Stadium. This is a night of prayer that will see God’s power through his servant Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa subdue disease, poverty, lack, barrenness and other ills afflicting people today.

The visitors headed Zimbabwe’s way are expected to have a phenomenal impact on tourism earnings both directly and indirectly. Loose calculations will show that if these people will each spend at least US$500 each on accommodation, food, transport and other expenses, the country will earn US$4 million from that single event.

That is a lot of money by any standard, particularly in an economy that is so starved of funds. I believe it only goes to show the positive impact religious tourism will have in this country. If this one aspect of tourism, and if this one event can help the country earn that much money then the future is bright for the tourism sector.

If we add the scores that come to Zimbabwe every week to attend UFIC services from as far as New Zealand, Australia, United Kingdom, US, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, among others, in search of solutions to life’s challenges, then we will record huge earnings that show how religious tourism has become increasingly relevant in this economy since God raised such men as Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa in Zimbabwe. Indeed he has become a tourist attraction as aptly put by Minister Mzembi some time ago. Last week the Minister said Government was supportive of Judgment Night 2, an event that will attract at least 150 000 people.

“Its very seldom that we will get those numbers that will give us 100 percent occupancy. Judgement Night has the potential to become a major Christian event worldwide in the next few years, something like our own religious World Cup,” said Minister Mzembi during a press conference held last week to endorse the event and pledge Government’s support. “It is in this area of its own size that the Government has been attracted,” added Minister Mzembi.

Indeed religious tourism is big business in such countries as Italy, India, China, Japan and the rest of Asia. This form of travel is expected to account significantly to the 1,6 billion tourists by 2020.

China, whose inbound tourists grew from 3,5 million in 1980 to 53 million in 2008 has also witnessed a growth in religious tourism that includes Christianity. More and more visitors are flocking to that country for religious reasons, benefiting its economy in the process. Already, 60 percent of the world’s tourists practice religious tourism. In fact, of the 600 million national and international religious and spiritual voyagers, Europe accounts for 40 percent and about half go to Asia.

Africa has not featured prominently on the list but this is about to change. Religious tourism has even attracted considerable research and interest within the academia and the public at large in recent years. Zimbabwe is coming up. Researchers agree that this form of tourism will certainly stimulate global tourism while improving earnings for respective countries. Global economies are set to benefit substantially from such visits.

Zimbabwe just needs to harness the interest coming its way from Christians all over the globe as they seek direction from God through such men as Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa. It could be one way God has remembered this country’s economy and the need to maximise and benefit from its endowments. Minister Mzembi said this country is expecting 3,2 million visitors this year, some of whom will be accounted for by tourists coming for religious and spiritual purposes.

This is definitely a sub-sector that the nation cannot afford to ignore. Already indications are that Harare alone needs to build more hotels to accommodate the visitors. This also implies an expansion of service provision in downstream sectors.

It means higher demand for transport, food, social amenities and even banking facilities. This could translate into the creation of more jobs and small businesses that feed into the hospitality chain. In fact, religious tourism and prophets of God in particular are critical in the implementation of the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation. Giving them due recognition will augur well for this economy. On the other hand, such players as Air Zimbabwe should also position themselves strategically so they can have their share of the cake. In God I trust!

My email: [email protected]