Zimbabwe’s tourism sector has delivered modest but consistent growth since 2022, with 2024 arrivals reaching 1.61 million and revenue nearing the half-billion dollar mark. Victoria Falls remains the primary anchor for international visitors, but safari and cultural tourism in Hwange, Matobo Hills, and the Zambezi Valley are increasingly significant parts of the offering.
Annual Visitor Numbers
Zimbabwe recorded 1,613,901 international tourist arrivals in 2024, according to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA). This represents a 1% increase over the 1,602,781 arrivals recorded in 2023. While the headline growth rate is modest, the first half of 2024 told a different story: arrivals surged to 751,483 in January to June 2024, a 27% increase over the 592,567 recorded in the same period of 2023.
The ZTA attributed the strong H1 2024 performance to improved air connectivity into Harare and Victoria Falls, a recovery in long-haul bookings from Europe and North America, and increasing demand for Zimbabwe itineraries as part of multi-country southern Africa trips. The H2 figure moderated, producing a modest full-year increase.
Zimbabwe’s pre-pandemic arrivals were considerably higher. In 2018, Zimbabwe received 2.58 million visitors, and the country has not yet returned to that level. The gap reflects the combined effect of pandemic closure, economic uncertainty affecting air route viability, and competition from neighbouring Zambia for Victoria Falls-focused itineraries.
Top Source Markets
African visitors dominate Zimbabwe’s arrival profile, accounting for 68% of total international arrivals in 2024. The dominant African source is South Africa, reflecting the ease of road and rail access across the Limpopo border. Zambia, Botswana, and Mozambique also contribute meaningfully to the African segment, with many arrivals involving day-trip or short-visit crossings rather than multi-night stays.
Among overseas (non-African) source markets, Europe contributed 13% of total arrivals and the Americas 8% in 2024. The United States was the top overseas source market, recording 105,274 arrivals in 2024, up from 95,053 in 2023. The UK is typically the leading European source, followed by Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
American and European visitors to Zimbabwe are predominantly travelling on organised safari itineraries, often combined with Botswana (Chobe National Park), South Africa (Kruger National Park), or Zambia (South Luangwa). Zimbabwe features as a component of southern Africa circuits rather than as a standalone destination in most Western tour operator programmes.
Peak Season and Travel Patterns
Zimbabwe follows a classic southern Africa dry-season pattern for wildlife tourism. The dry season from April to October offers the best game viewing conditions, with vegetation thinning and animals concentrating around water sources. August and September are typically peak months for safari lodges and camps in Hwange and the Zambezi Valley.
Victoria Falls itself has two distinct visitor patterns. April and May represent the months of highest water flow, when the falls are at their most spectacular but spray obscures much of the viewing from the Zimbabwe side. July to September offers clearer views with reduced flow and better conditions for the Knife-Edge bridge crossing. Both peaks are well attended.
Kariba and Lake Kariba houseboat tourism peaks in August and September when elephants and other game concentrate around the lake shore. The Matobo Hills, home to a high density of rock art sites and black and white rhino, attract year-round visitors but are most accessible in the dry winter months.
The rainy season (November to March) is the low season for overseas visitors but sees some domestic tourism and is the preferred time for birding, with migratory species present.
Economic Contribution
Zimbabwe’s tourism receipts reached $493 million in 2024, according to ZTA data. On a broader measure that includes the supply chain effect, tourism generated an estimated $1.2 billion in economic activity in 2024. The sector contributes approximately 8 to 10% of Zimbabwe’s formal GDP in a normal year, though the relative importance is difficult to measure precisely given the size of Zimbabwe’s informal economy.
Hotel occupancy rates across classified establishments climbed from 41% in 2023 to 44% in 2024, driven by improved international visitor volumes at Victoria Falls and increased domestic business travel to Harare. Victoria Falls hotel occupancy consistently runs above the national average, typically reaching 60 to 70% in peak season.
Tourism remains one of Zimbabwe’s most important formal-sector employers. The sector directly supports employment in hospitality, guiding, transport, and conservation, with Victoria Falls, Harare, and Hwange as the three largest employment nodes.
Accommodation Statistics
Victoria Falls is Zimbabwe’s most accommodation-rich destination relative to its size. The town has approximately 4,000 classified hotel and lodge beds across a range from budget backpackers to luxury five-star properties. The Victoria Falls Hotel, opened in 1904 and under Meikles Hotels management, is one of southern Africa’s most historic properties and operates at the premium end of the market. The Elephant Camp, Ilala Lodge, and Stanley and Livingstone also represent the upper tiers.
Hwange National Park is served primarily by permanent tented camps and lodges, including Singita Pamushana (in the Save Valley Conservancy), Linkwasha Camp, and Little Makalolo, run by Wilderness Safaris. Combined bed night capacity across Hwange’s classified properties is relatively small, which contributes to the park’s appeal as a less crowded alternative to busier East African parks.
Harare holds Zimbabwe’s highest concentration of business and transit hotel rooms, anchored by Rainbow Towers, the Meikles Hotel, and several international franchise properties.
Growth Trends
Zimbabwe’s Tourism Growth Strategy aims to reach five million visitors annually and generate $5 billion in annual tourism receipts by 2030. From the 2024 base of 1.61 million arrivals and $493 million in receipts, this would require compounding growth of over 20% per year on arrivals and over 40% per year on revenue, targets that most analysts consider highly ambitious without step-change improvements in air connectivity, political stability, and product investment.
Improved air access is a consistent constraint. Victoria Falls International Airport received a new terminal in 2016 but lacks scheduled long-haul services from Europe or North America. The ability to attract charter operations, currently focused on Zanzibar, Mauritius, and Cape Town, would transform Victoria Falls arrivals from the European market. Discussions with several European operators about charter feasibility have continued periodically without firm commitments as of 2024.
Investment in new lodges and camps in the Zambezi National Park, Chizarira National Park, and Gonarezhou National Park represents the supply-side growth pipeline. Gonarezhou in particular, developed in partnership with the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park initiative with Mozambique and South Africa, has attracted attention from high-end safari operators as an undiscovered wilderness alternative.