The Zimbabwe Guide

Zimbabwe Hits 2.3 Million Tourist Arrivals in 2025 - Best Since 2000

· 3 min read Travel News
Zimbabwe Hits 2.3 Million Tourist Arrivals in 2025 - Best Since 2000

Contents

  1. Where Visitors Are Coming From
  2. What's Driving the Growth
  3. Challenges That Remain
  4. What It Means for Visitors

Zimbabwe’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Ministry confirmed in June 2026 that the country received approximately 2.3 million international tourist arrivals in 2025, the highest figure recorded since 2000. The milestone was announced at the annual ZimTourism summit in Harare and was cited as evidence that the country’s decade-long recovery in the tourism sector is now delivering consistent year-on-year growth.

Where Visitors Are Coming From

The regional breakdown shows that Zimbabwe’s growth is being driven by a combination of regional African tourism and long-haul markets:

  • SADC neighbours (South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique): account for approximately 60% of arrivals, largely overland visitors
  • UK and Europe: the second largest block of long-haul arrivals, concentrated in the May–October safari season
  • USA and Canada: growing segment, up approximately 18% year-on-year on 2024 figures
  • Asia-Pacific (Australia, China, Japan): smaller but growing, with Australian visitors particularly well-represented at Victoria Falls

The UK remains Zimbabwe’s largest single long-haul source market, a legacy of historical ties and the substantial Zimbabwean diaspora in the United Kingdom.

What’s Driving the Growth

Tourism officials and industry operators point to several converging factors:

Victoria Falls is a primary draw. The falls and its surrounding adventure activities - white-water rafting, bungee jumping, helicopter flights, and game activities - continue to attract travellers who might spend only two or three nights in Zimbabwe as part of a broader southern Africa trip. The destination benefits from co-marketing with the Zambian side and the KAZA Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area brand.

Safari product quality has improved. Private concession lodges in Hwange, Mana Pools, and the Zambezi Valley have invested significantly in infrastructure since 2020. Several operators have achieved international recognition, with Singita Pamushana, Wilderness’ Little Makalolo, and Imvelo Safari Lodges all receiving accolades from major travel publications in 2024–25.

Visa access is easier. The expansion of visa-on-arrival to 75 nationalities in 2026 built on a steady trend of entry liberalisation that began in 2019. Earlier in the recovery, visa complications were frequently cited in traveller surveys as a deterrent.

The KAZA UniVisa model works. Combining Zimbabwe and Zambia under a single USD 50 visa has removed a meaningful friction point for multi-country itineraries. Tour operators report that the majority of their Victoria Falls clients now visit both sides.

Challenges That Remain

The 2.3 million figure is encouraging but not yet back to pre-crisis levels. Zimbabwe received around 2.7 million arrivals annually in the late 1990s before political and economic instability caused a collapse in inbound tourism through the 2000s. The current government’s 3 million annual visitor target by 2030 is achievable but will require sustained infrastructure investment - particularly road quality between major destinations and reliable electricity at hospitality facilities.

Currency complexity also remains a friction point. Zimbabwe’s multi-currency system (USD, ZiG, and South African rand are all in circulation) can confuse first-time visitors who are unsure which currency to carry and where. Our Zimbabwe budget guide covers this in detail.

What It Means for Visitors

Higher visitor volumes at peak season mean that accommodation at popular safari camps and lodges is booking out earlier. If you’re planning a Mana Pools or Hwange trip for the July–October window, booking six to nine months in advance is now effectively standard practice for the most sought-after properties.

Victoria Falls accommodation remains relatively easier to secure given the larger supply of beds across all price points, but peak July and August weekends are filling fast. The overall message is the same one we give every year: book early, especially for the dry season.

For a practical introduction to planning your first visit, start with our first-time visitor guide to Zimbabwe.