Tourism minister Barbara Rwodzi named Zimbabwe’s best performing cabinet minister for 2025

Tourism minister Barbara Rwodzi named Zimbabwe’s best performing cabinet minister for 2025
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Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Hon Barbara Rwodzi, has been recognised as the Overall Best Performing Cabinet Minister of 2025, following an announcement made at the Performance Contracts Signing and Awards Ceremony 2026 presided over by President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.

The honour is tied to reported performance outcomes within her ministry and comes at a time when government is emphasising measurable delivery across ministries through performance contracts. In the tourism sector, the cited results include a rise in international tourist arrivals and increased tourism receipts, figures that place tourism among the notable contributors to national economic activity.

According to the same account of the award, international tourist arrivals increased by 10 percent to 1.78 million visitors, while tourism receipts rose to US$1.3 billion, representing a 25 percent increase since 2021. The developments have been presented as evidence of recovery and expansion in Zimbabwe’s travel and hospitality industry.

Zimbabwe’s international profile as a travel destination was also linked to several accolades mentioned alongside the award. The country was reported to have been ranked number one on a Forbes global travel list of must-visit destinations, a recognition used by tourism authorities to market Zimbabwe’s heritage and natural attractions.

Further recognition was cited from ITB Berlin 2026 in Germany, one of the world’s major tourism exhibitions, where Zimbabwe was crowned “Destination of the Year – Natural Wonders”. At the same platform, Hon Rwodzi was named Tourism Minister of the Year – Africa 2025 by the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association.

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The award also carried a gender milestone, with Hon Rwodzi reported to be the first woman to receive the Best Performing Cabinet Minister recognition since the award’s inception. The announcement was made during Women’s Month, a context that drew attention to women’s leadership in government and public service.

The achievements were framed within the broader government programme championed by President Mnangagwa, with reference also made to the Patron of Tourism and Hospitality Industry and First Lady of Zimbabwe, Auxillia Mnangagwa. The report noted collaboration with industry stakeholders aimed at strengthening Zimbabwe’s global tourism promotion.

For communities in Mashonaland Central that benefit from domestic and international travel flows, the performance of the tourism sector is closely tied to jobs and small business opportunities in transport, accommodation, catering and related services. As Zimbabwe continues to market its cultural diversity, heritage sites and natural wonders, officials have positioned recent recognition as part of a wider effort to grow tourism receipts and visitor numbers.

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