Zimbabwe signs $1,2bn tourism deal with China

TOURISM minister Priscah Mupfumira has said Zimbabwe is on the path to becoming the tourism giant after penning a $1,2 billion deal with a Chinese media group.

Mupfumira said the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Zimbabwe and Chinese firm, Touch Road International, was going to unlock investments in the Zimbabwean tourism and hospitality industry.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the visit by the Zheing Zhiang Radio and TV Group to shoot a Zimbabwe promotional video that will be used in China to market our country is a major footstep to repositioning the country as tourism giant in the region," she said yesterday.

President-elect Emmerson Mnangwaga signed several MoUs when he visited China in April, which later saw a Chinese delegation led by a politburo member of the China People's Party of Huangzhou province, pledging to bring experts to shoot a video to promote Zimbabwe in China.

"As a follow-up, Touchroad International brought a business delegation to Zimbabwe, which expressed interest in tourism development in Victoria Falls and elsewhere in the country. The MoU was signed on April 6, 2018, and the deal worth $1,2 billion is expected to unlock investments in the Zimbabwean tourism and hospitality industry," Mupfumira said.