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Zim 'on path to full recovery'
27/12/2007 09:52 - (SA)
Johannesburg - Zimbabwe's tourism sector is on the path to full recovery and poised to reclaim its place as one of the country's top foreign currency earners, Zimbabwe's Herald online has reported.
As of last month, tourism was said to have raked in $59.7m this year with safari hunting contributing 36% of the earnings, the report said.
During the first half of the year, the number of tourists arriving in the country was estimated to have grown by 34% from 1.1m to 1.4m as compared to the same period last year.
Growing numbers of tourists were coming from other African countries and the Far East. Visitors from African countries accounted for 90% of tourist arrivals.
According to official statistics: "The share of African tourists increased by 23% from 917 472 last year to 1 132 575 this year."
Tourism sector may attract more airlines
The country also signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism with Angola to promote tourism co-operation between the two countries and the tourism authority was signing up international artistes to sign up as tourism ambassadors in their various countries.
"To this end, the ZTA managed to bring Chinese pop star Chris Wong, who is popular throughout Asia, to the Harare International Festival of the Arts. The artiste was accompanied by two Chinese television networks," the reports said.
The authority also managed to attract Jamaican reggae artiste Luciano, Wenge and Extra Musica from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Vee from Botswana and South African groups, Mafikizolo and Malaika.
It was reported that the tourism sector was also trying to attract more airlines to the country and was pursuing the issue of a two-tier exchange rate policy as the current exchange rate was not viable and made goods more expensive.
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Zimbabwe Special Report
