The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority together with the Airports Company of Zimbabwe attended the AviaDev Africa 2023 Conference in Nairobi from 14 to 16 June 2023.
AviaDev is a platform that brings together airports, airlines, aviation industry players, tourism authorities and governments with a view to growing connectivity to, from and within Africa as well as developing aviation as an enabler for growth on the continent.
The ZTA and ACZ engaged in various meetings with key players in the aviation industry on how to develop and promote traffic into and out of Zimbabwe’s key airports.
The ZTA and ACZ have partnered on this journey in a bid to foster collaboration within the aviation and tourism industries. Airports, particularly those that are ports of entry into the country, are regarded as the first impression a traveller has of the country.
They therefore play a central role in marketing Zimbabwe as a destination of choice. Airports also enable connectivity between major hubs and otherwise inaccessible tourist destinations. Development of major airports is therefore expected to unlock further investment opportunities, which will include hotels, retail facilities, and other logistics amenities.
The meetings attended at AviaDev also brought out ways in which ACZ can incorporate facilities that support tourism at the airports.
They also emphasised the need to learn from countries and jurisdictions that have done well in their respective industries. A matter that took centre stage at AviaDev’s Real Estate event was the development of airport masterplans that are geared towards future development of airport and ancillary infrastructure.
The need for collaboration in the development and execution of these masterplans was emphasised.
The ZTA and ACZ committed to lead the way in ensuring collaboration within the aviation and tourism industries.
They also welcome the involvement of all other stakeholders in both the private and public sector in these efforts.
