Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli says the government is going to maintain the suspension of duty on motor vehicles imported by Safari and Tour Operators as part of contributing to the tourism sector.
Tourism in Zimbabwe is on a growth path and is expected to grow by about about 2.9% in 2025 and 3.1% in 2026.
The sector is one of the key pillars for economic revival for the second republic together with mining and agriculture.
According to experts, tourism has vast low-hanging fruit that the country can quickly win from. There are also various untapped opportunities in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) business.
These opportunities have inspired the government to come up various initiatives to help the sector grow and become competitive globally.
One of the initiatives is the suspension of duty on safari and tour vehicles for the sector. Safari is one of the key pullers of tourism into Zimbabwe.
In his 2026 National Budget, Finance Minister Mthuli said the incentives have helped the sector to grow, and become a preffered tourism destination globally.
‘’Honourable Members would recall that Government has, over the years, availed a number of concessions targeted at enhancing the competiveness of the tourism industry. The incentives include suspension of duty on capital equipment, buses and motor vehicles imported by specified operators.
‘’The incentives framework has contributed towards the growth in investment by the sector, in particular the surge in greenfield
investment infrastructure and acquisition of specialised vehicles, thereby making Zimbabwe a preferred tourism destination.
‘’In order to maintain the growth momentum in the sector, I, propose to extend the suspension of duty on specified motor vehicles imported by Safari and Tour Operators by a further 2 years, beginning 1 January 2026. This facility will, however, be granted on condition that the operator is up-to-date with tax obligations,’’ he said.
