Rwodzi tells US diaspora tourism is easiest entry point for Zimbabwe investment
Rwodzi tells US diaspora tourism is easiest entry point for Zimbabwe investment
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Zimbabwe’s tourism sector offers the most accessible starting point for diaspora investors looking to put money into projects back home, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi has said.
Rwodzi made the remarks in Atlanta, Georgia, while addressing the Zimbabwe Diaspora Tourism Investment Forum, where she framed tourism as a “low-hanging fruit and high-impact investment sector” under the Second Republic’s “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” policy thrust.
The forum forms part of Government efforts to strengthen diaspora engagement and drive tourism-led economic transformation in line with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (2026–2030), according to the presentations at the meeting.
Rwodzi urged Zimbabweans in the United States to consider opportunities across the tourism value chain, rather than limiting investment plans to hotel developments.
Among the areas highlighted were accommodation and conference facilities, rural tourism, cultural and heritage tourism, gastronomy tourism, renewable energy solutions for tourism facilities, waste management, and community-based tourism models intended to ensure local communities benefit from growth in the sector.
“The tourism sector is a low-hanging fruit,” Rwodzi said. “It requires relatively shorter lead times to yield returns compared to other heavy industries, and it has a multiplier effect across agriculture, transport, and the arts.”
Other institutions, including the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA), the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, the Mosi-Oa-Tunya Development Company, and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, also made presentations on investment opportunities and processes, with a focus on improving investor confidence and clarity.
Rwodzi said improved air connectivity and the ministry’s Tourism Cluster Strategy were helping to create a more enabling environment for investment.
She also acknowledged the role of remittances in sustaining the economy, noting that the United States-based Zimbabwean diaspora contributes about 12% of Zimbabwe’s total remittance inflows.
However, she encouraged a shift from consumption-focused remittances towards productive investment, arguing that even partial redirection into tourism infrastructure, hospitality skills development and conservation could have broader economic benefits.
Participants at the forum raised questions around regulatory frameworks, land tenure, financing options and the repatriation of profits, reflecting common concerns among diaspora investors exploring formal investment channels.
Zimbabwe’s Ambassador to the United States, David Hamadziripi, welcomed the delegates and commended Rwodzi for promoting Destination Zimbabwe through international tourism marketing efforts, organisers said.
The diaspora engagement programme was presented as part of a wider national approach guided by Vision 2030, Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals, with Government linking tourism growth to devolution and rural industrialisation policies.
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