Chinese nationals, whose government is touted an all-weather friend by Zimbabwe, have largely skirted the troubled African country, preferring other regional destinations, a government minister has said.
Out of 80,000 Chinese tourists who visit southern Africa annually, Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi told Parliament Wednesday, Zimbabwe has seen a paltry 5,000 visiting, despite the country boasting one of the world’s natural wonders, the Victoria Falls.
Mzembi said his ministry has since invented an elaborate strategy to capture a significant chunk of the gallivanting lot to help resuscitate the country’s ailing economy.
“The SADC region on average is receiving between 70,000 to 80,000 Chinese tourists per year and l refer here to Zambia, South Africa and other countries in the region Mozambique included…
“But it is extremely unfortunate that Zimbabwe, which prides itself as an all-weather friend of the Chinese, is only receipting just over 5,000 Chinese tourists per annum,” he said, responding to questions from back-benchers…
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