Africa unites as tourism CEOs push collaboration over competition

MASVINGO – Zimbabwe is leading a continental call for African tourism to shift from rivalry to regional integration, with tourism Chief Executive Officers agreeing that seamless travel and multi‑destination packaging are essential to unlocking Africa’s full potential.


Speaking to journalists at the CEO’s Roundtable held at Great Zimbabwe ahead of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority CEO Dr George Manyaya said the gathering was designed to create an environment where competing destinations become complementary circuits.

“From the presentations we discussed today, we have noted that we need each other. Yes, we may compete in terms of attractions, but we are not competitors. We need to market Africa to the world,” Dr Manyaya said.

Hosted at the iconic World Heritage Site, the roundtable brought together tourism authorities and stakeholders to align on intra‑Africa travel facilitation, ease of doing tourism business and joint destination marketing. Manyaya emphasised that Africa’s strength lies in diversity, not duplication.

“For example, we increase the length of stay in Africa. Visitors can arrive in Zimbabwe and also go to Botswana, Kenya, Zambia and South Africa. Because what we offer may be similar or widely different, we should collaborate. Authenticity is our strength, and we must encourage tourists to come,” he said.

Adding a regional voice, Davies Silungwe, Head of Human Resource and Administration at the Zambia Tourism Agency, echoed the need for unified action. “What we are seeing here at Great Zimbabwe is proof that Africa is stronger together. We don’t have to fight for the same tourist. We can create packages where a visitor lands in Lusaka, drives to Victoria Falls, crosses into Zimbabwe, and still has time for Hwange and Gonarezhou. That’s how we win,” Silungwe said.

He added that collaboration must extend to policy harmonisation on visas, airlift and border efficiency to reduce friction for travellers and investors.

The model mirrors global best practice in multi‑destination packaging and regional tourism circuits. Industry experts say it allows Africa to compete with long‑haul destinations by selling “one continent, many experiences” — wildlife in Botswana, heritage in Zimbabwe, beaches in Kenya and safaris in South Africa.

Dr Manyaya said several countries participated in the roundtable, noting that private‑sector and regulatory stakeholders were also engaged. The initiative falls under the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry’s regional integration and marketing cluster, supporting the nature and wildlife (eco‑tourism) and heritage and culture clusters. Great Zimbabwe was used as a case study in leveraging authentic heritage assets to anchor longer itineraries.

Industry players say a collaborative approach will boost RevPAR, length of stay and yield per tourist while spreading economic benefits across borders instead of siloing them.

As Africa seeks post‑pandemic growth, the message from Masvingo was unified. “We must collaborate. That is how we encourage our tourists to come,” Manyaya said. “Africa is stronger together,” Silungwe added.

Countries represented at the event included Zambia, Malawi, Côte d’Ivoire and Namibia, among other tourism stakeholders.

This development feeds into broader continental conversations around regional tourism integration and multi‑destination packaging.