Zimbabwe will on Thursday this week launch the National Tourism Policy with plans to promote religious tourism taking centre stage.
Addressing a press conference ahead of the National Tourism Policy in the capital on Monday, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality, Walter Mzembi said religion had proved to be a key driver of tourism in Africa.
He added that the idea to promote religious tourism was inspired by the impact of spiritual faith in Nigeria’s tourism.
“Of the 1, 1 billion global arrivals in 2013, 300 million were spiritual faith based’, said Mzembi adding that a case study on Nigeria had shown that 6 out of 10 tourists were inspired by religion.
“The Synagogue Church of all Nations has helped Nigeria’s tourism traffic up to 60%
“In this light the Ministry of Tourism seeks to add value to the church business by hiring the conference facilities,” said Mzembi.
He quoted chapter 14:20 of the 1996 tourism policy section 35 which states that, “The Minister, after consultation with the Board may declare that any premises, place, or thing whatsoever which in the Minister’s opinion, affords amnesty to tourists shall be a designated tourist facility.”
Mzembi hinted that religion as a tourism zone will not succumb to taxation.
‘We don’t tax tithes and offerings,” said Mzembi.
Churches likely to attract foreign based tourists in Zimbabwe include Prophet Emmanuel Makandiwa’s United Family International Church (UFIC) and Walter Magaya’s Prophetic Healing Deliverance (PHD) Ministries among others.
