Zimbabwe will next month begin a tourism satellite account (TSA) visitor survey whose findings will be used to measure the contribution of the sector to the national economy. TSAs are defined as statistical instruments designed to measure tourism performance and its contribution to the economy. A TSA also allows for the generation of tourism economic data that is comparable with other national statistics.

Hospitality and Tourism Industry Minister Walter Mzembi told journalists that the conduct of the one-year survey was a positive step towards introducing a tourism satellite account in Zimbabwe.

“With a TSA in place, both Government and the private sector will be better equipped to make informed decisions, design strategies for tourism development and improvement.”

“As part of this process, we will be carrying out a visitor exit survey for a period of 12 months at selected ports of entry starting from next month.

The survey is designed to obtain detailed information on various characteristics of visitors to Zimbabwe,” he said.

Mzembi said as part of the survey, 25 000 visitors would be interviewed to find out the main source of markets for visitors to Zimbabwe and their expenditure pasterns while on tour.

“Such information cannot be obtained through immigration declaration forms and exit cards completed by visitors on entry and exit,” he said.

“The survey is to be conducted at the following ports of exit: Harare International Airport, Joshua Nqabuko Nkomo Airport, Victoria Falls Airport and border posts, Beitbridge, Chirundu, Forbes, Nyamapanda, Kazungula and Plumtree,” he said.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) extended a $1,4 million grant for Zimstat to jointly conduct the survey with the Ministry of Tourism.

Over the years, the Zimbabwe Government has been querying the mismatch between tourism arrivals and receipts. – New Ziana.

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