Tourism in Zimbabwe

The logo of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority showing the Victoria Falls and the Zimbabwe Bird found at Great Zimbabwe.

Victoria Falls, the end of the upper Zambezi and beginning of the middle Zambezi

Zimbabwe boasts several tourist attractions, located in the North West of the country. Before the economic changes, much of the tourism for these locations came to the Zimbabwean side but now Zambia benefits from the tourism. The Victoria Falls National Park is also a tourist attraction in this area and is one of the eight main National Parks in Zimbabwe,^[1] largest of which is Hwange National Park.

The Eastern Highlands are a series of mountainous areas near the border with Mozambique. The highest peak in Zimbabwe, Mount Nyangani at 2593 metres is located here as well as the Bvumba Mountains and the Nyanga National Park. World's View is in these mountains and it is from here that places as far away as 60–70 km are visible and, on clear days, the town of Rusape can be seen.

Great Zimbabwe as featured on the defunct $50 note

Zimbabwe is distinctive in Africa for its large number of medieval era city ruins built in a unique dry stone style. Possibly the most famous of these are the Great Zimbabwe ruins in Masvingo which survive from the Kingdom of Zimbabwe era. Other ruins include Khami Ruins, Zimbabwe, Dhlo-Dhlo and Naletale.

The Matobo Hills are an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some 35 kilometres south of Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe. The Hills were formed over 2000 million years ago with granite being forced to the surface, this has eroded to produce smooth "whaleback dwalas" and broken kopjes, strewn with boulders and interspersed with thickets of vegetation. Mzilikazi, founder of the Ndebele nation, gave the area its name, meaning 'Bald Heads'. They have become famous and a tourist attraction because Cecil John Rhodes famous for his vision that led to foundation of Rhodesia, and other early white pioneers like Leander Starr Jameson, Major Allan Wilson, and most of the members of the Shangani Patrol are buried in these hills at another site named World's View.^[2]

Hwange National Park and Mana Pools, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are some of the best National Parks and safari destinations in the region. The tourism sector in Zimbabwe has been on the rise for past 2 years.

Arrivals by country

Most visitors arriving to Zimbabwe on short term basis in 2014 were from the following countries of nationality:^[3]

Rank	Country	Number
1	South Africa	607,616
2	Malawi	321,874
3	Zambia	285,727
4	Mozambique	169,829
5	Botswana	71,384
6	United States	57,410
7	UK and Ireland	38,606
8	DR Congo	28,368
9	Tanzania	26, 334
10	Germany	24,572

References

1. "Zimbabwe Tourism Authority". Retrieved 2007-11-16.
2. "The Spirit of Matobo". Retrieved 2007-11-16.
3. Tourism Trends and Statistics Annual Report 2014