Zimbabwe’s International Trade Fair 2026 Generates $600 Million in a Win for Harare’s Tourism and Hospitality Sectors

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The 66th Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) closed its doors in Bulawayo on 25 April 2026, having done something few African trade events manage; it delivered hard numbers. Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu confirmed that the five-day event, held from 20 to 25 April under the theme “Connected Economies, Competitive Industries,” generated over US$600 million in business transactions, confirmed orders, and investment leads.

Travel and Tour World reports that the fair drew 812 exhibitors, up from 795 in 2025, representing 31 countries, with 123 first-time participants joining the fold.

That figure alone tells a story. But the bigger story playing out beneath the trade deals and MoU signings is what ZITF 2026 means for Zimbabwe’s tourism, hospitality, and travel sectors. These industries have been building momentum and now have fresh investment oxygen to keep climbing.

How a Trade Fair Becomes a Tourism Catalyst

ZITF has long served as more than a marketplace. It is the meeting point where government policy, private capital, and industry ambition converge. In 2026, tourism entrepreneurs, hotel operators, and travel companies used that space to hold serious conversations about positioning Zimbabwe as a destination that competes on the world stage.

ZITF Company board chairman Dr Busisa Moyo confirmed the surge in exhibitors and underscored the fair’s expanding global footprint. International participation stood at 133 exhibitors, and despite a slight dip from 159 in 2025, which the minister attributed to geopolitical headwinds, the diversity of 31 participating nations confirmed that Bulawayo remains a credible node in the global trade network.

The event also exceeded its available exhibition space, achieving a utilisation rate of 104 per cent, a signal of demand that organisers will need to plan for in future editions.

The Memoranda of Understanding signed in sectors including manufacturing and technology are not isolated from tourism. Better infrastructure, stronger logistics networks, and improved business services create the conditions that make a country more attractive to international tourists and investors alike.

Building on a Tourism Sector Already in Motion

U.S. International Trade Administration notes that Zimbabwe’s tourism sector entered ZITF 2026 on solid ground. According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), the country received 1,613,901 international visitors in 2024, generating an estimated US$1.2 billion in tourism revenue and attracting US$190 million in investment in the sector.

The government has set an ambitious target: build Zimbabwe into a US$10 billion tourism economy by 2030, surpassing the US$5 billion milestone the sector reached in 2024.

Business travel is leading this momentum. Data from the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) shows that business arrivals jumped nearly 43 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, rising from 82,454 to 118,496. Holiday arrivals during the same period grew by 18 per cent, from 217,651 to 256,143. Total international visitors during Q3 2025 reached 520,751, a 15 per cent year-on-year increase.

ZITF 2026 feeds directly into this upward curve. The investment leads generated, the partnerships negotiated, and the MoUs signed will translate into new hotel inventory, upgraded visitor experiences, and sharper air connectivity, all of which attract more international arrivals.

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Victoria Falls, Harare, and Bulawayo: Where the Investment Flows

The regions with the most to gain from ZITF’s tourism dividend are already on the international tourism map. Victoria Falls remains Zimbabwe’s flagship attraction, and its designation as a Tourism Special Economic Zone and International Financial Centre gives it a structural advantage in attracting the kind of long-term investment that turns a destination into a sustained earner.

Harare received a significant infrastructure boost when it completed the expansion of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in July 2023, lifting its annual passenger-handling capacity from 2.5 million to 6 million passengers. The US$153 million project, funded through a China Export-Import Bank loan, opened additional international airline routes and removed a key bottleneck to growth in arrivals.

Victoria Falls International Airport also received a runway extension to handle wide-body aircraft and a new passenger terminal to absorb the influx of tourists. These infrastructure investments did not happen in isolation; they were the result of exactly the kind of government-business alignment that ZITF consistently promotes.

Bulawayo, the city that hosts ZITF, now makes a compelling case as a cultural and heritage tourism hub. The fair’s success this year adds to that narrative, drawing attention and investment interest to a city that has long operated in the shadow of Zimbabwe’s more famous tourist corridors.

Hospitality, Jobs, and the Local Economy

For hotel owners, tour operators, and local entrepreneurs who participated in ZITF 2026, the fair provided something concrete: access. Access to international buyers, access to capital conversations, and access to the kind of networks that let smaller operators grow beyond local markets.

The employment implications are significant. Hospitality management, tour guiding, tourism logistics, and retail all stand to absorb more workers as the sector expands. Zimbabwe’s tourism industry already contributes meaningfully to employment. With demand rising across all key source markets, Africa at 68 per cent of arrivals, Europe at 13 per cent, and the Americas at eight per cent, the pipeline of visitors to serve is growing.

Relatively affordable real estate in Victoria Falls also creates entry points for hotel and lodge development targeting a middle-income market segment that has so far been underserved by Zimbabwe’s predominantly high-end luxury accommodation supply.

Sustainable Tourism Takes Centre Stage

ZITF 2026 gave sustainability more than a token mention. Local authorities and industry leaders used the fair’s conference spaces to discuss eco-tourism, community-based tourism, and the practical steps needed to reduce the pressure that mass tourism places on Zimbabwe’s wildlife corridors and cultural heritage sites.

These are not abstract concerns. Zimbabwe’s appeal rests heavily on its wildlife reserves, its landscapes, and the authenticity of its cultural experiences. Preserving those assets while scaling visitor numbers requires deliberate policy, and ZITF provided a forum to shape that policy in real time.

For Zimbabwe’s tourism community, the question after ZITF 2026 is not whether the sector will grow. The data and the deal flow already answer that. The question is whether the growth happens in a way that protects the natural and cultural assets that made Zimbabwe worth visiting in the first place.

The next ZITF edition in 2027 will show how well the commitments made in Bulawayo this April translate into actual change on the ground. If the momentum holds, Zimbabwe will enter 2027 as one of Africa’s most closely watched tourism investment stories.

How ZITF’s Success Could Shape Africa’s Tourism Investment Conversation

The broader lesson from ZITF 2026 for Nigeria and Africa’s tourism sector is structural. Trade fairs that deliberately weave tourism into their investment narrative, not as a side note but as a headline sector, generate the kind of deals that rebuild airports, fund new hotel inventory, and improve road infrastructure to game reserves and heritage sites.

For Nigeria, the tourism-and-trade linkage is particularly compelling given the country’s size. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and most populous nation. A trade event in Lagos, Abuja, or Calabar that generates US$600 million in tourism-adjacent investments would have multiplier effects that dwarf those of ZITF for Zimbabwe. The infrastructure pipeline alone, aviation, roads, digital connectivity, and hotel development, would draw participation from global developers who do not currently view Nigeria as a priority tourism investment destination.

Across Africa, ZITF’s success reinforces a pattern documented by the African Development Bank and the African Union: trade-driven tourism investment yields more durable economic outcomes than marketing campaigns alone. Connecting tourism stakeholders with capital at the same table, which is what ZITF does, compresses the timeline from investment intention to ground-breaking.

For Nigeria’s travel and tourism industry, the takeaway from Bulawayo is clear. A trade fair that treats tourism as a serious investment asset, rather than a cultural showcase, can reposition an entire country’s narrative in the minds of global investors. Nigeria has the assets, the market size, and the diaspora network to make that happen. What remains is the institutional will to build the platform.

Africa’s tourism investment story is moving fast. Stay ahead of it. Read more on Zimbabwe, Southern Africa, and the deals shaping the continent’s travel industry on our website.

TOP 5 FAQs

1. How much money did ZITF 2026 generate?

The 66th edition of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair generated over US$600 million in business transactions, confirmed orders, and investment leads, according to Industry and Commerce Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndhlovu at a post-event briefing.

2. How does ZITF 2026 benefit Zimbabwe’s tourism sector?

ZITF 2026 created direct pathways for tourism entrepreneurs, hoteliers, and travel companies to connect with international investors and stakeholders. The Memoranda of Understanding signed at the fair in sectors including manufacturing and logistics improve the broader business environment that supports tourism growth, from better transport infrastructure to stronger supply chains for hospitality businesses.

3. Which regions of Zimbabwe stand to benefit most from ZITF 2026’s tourism investment?

Victoria Falls, Harare, and Bulawayo are the primary beneficiaries. Victoria Falls holds Special Economic Zone status, which gives it structural advantages in attracting capital. Harare completed a major airport expansion in 2023. Bulawayo itself, as ZITF’s host city, benefits from the fair’s annual spotlight on its potential as a cultural and heritage tourism destination.

4. What is Zimbabwe’s tourism revenue target by 2030?

Zimbabwe has set a goal of becoming a US$10 billion tourism economy by 2030, up from the US$5 billion milestone achieved in 2024. The country generated US$1.2 billion in tourism revenue from over 1.6 million international visitors in 2024, according to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

5. How does sustainable tourism feature in ZITF 2026’s discussions?

Sustainable tourism was a recurring theme at ZITF 2026, with local authorities and industry leaders discussing eco-tourism, community-based tourism, and strategies to minimise the environmental impact of mass tourism on Zimbabwe’s wildlife and cultural assets. Participants explored how investment in tourism can align with sustainability goals to protect the country’s natural attractions over the long term.