Harare — The Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) has declared the talk-shop over. Following a joint conference with the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe held recently, HAZ today launched the Zimbabwe Tourism Readiness Programme 2026–2029, a hard-deadline, execution-driven plan to get the country’s hotels, airports and SMEs ready for the Intra-African Trade Fair in 2029.
Convened under the theme “Connecting Capital to Capacity: Unlocking Zimbabwe’s Tourism Potential Ahead of Hosting IATF 2029”, the conference brought together bankers, hoteliers, investors and policymakers with one blunt message: the clock is ticking, and execution must start now.
IATF 2029 is the Intra-African Trade Fair that will be permanently headquartered in Harare, Zimbabwe. It is a major continental trade event under AfCFTA. Starting with the 2029 edition, Zimbabwe will host the fair annually until 2033.
With IATF 2029 fixed on the calendar, HAZ says financing, refurbishment, skills development and institutional coordination cannot wait. The objective is two-fold. First, deliver a world-class tourism product for the continent in 2029. Second, leave behind infrastructure and systems that accelerate Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy 2 targets. “Success will depend on coordinated execution rather than further dialogue,” HAZ told the briefing.
“Financing decisions made in 2026 and 2027 will determine whether refurbishment projects are completed before 2029. Delays in approvals or weak project preparation will directly affect Zimbabwe’s readiness.”
The programme is deliberately aligned to the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) priorities of economic growth, job creation, SME formalisation and infrastructure modernisation. Vision 2030 targets the tourism pillar by positioning Zimbabwe as a competitive, top-tier destination with improved connectivity, a better-trained workforce, and increased foreign currency inflows.
HAZ’s roadmap is built around five strategic pillars. The first is Bankability and Financing, focused on making projects investor-ready. The second is Access and Connectivity, covering airlines, airports, roads and digital access. The third is Experience and Workforce Quality, which addresses skills, service standards and training. The fourth is Product Development and Inclusion, aimed at expanding opportunities beyond big hotels to SMEs, women and youth enterprises. The fifth is Governance, Data and Accountability, which will track progress publicly through dashboards and quarterly reports.
To move immediately, HAZ is rolling out three tools. A Project Preparation Support Desk will help members structure bankable proposals that meet lender requirements. A HAZ Bankability Toolkit will provide standard templates and governance guidelines for SMEs that have struggled to access finance. And quarterly engagements between HAZ and BAZ will review project pipelines and resolve financing bottlenecks in real time.
The call to banks is to establish dedicated hospitality-financing windows, improve turnaround times, and explore blended-finance and risk-sharing models. Government is being asked to act as well. The Ministry of Tourism is urged to accelerate approvals, streamline licensing and provide predictable fiscal incentives such as duty rebates and tax breaks for refurbishment. The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority is encouraged to publish clear ‘IATF-ready’ accommodation standards together with occupancy and demand forecasts to strengthen investment cases.
HAZ stressed that readiness extends far beyond accommodation. Airlines, airport authorities, transport operators, tour operators, guides, restaurants, caterers, craft producers and training institutions all have critical roles. To coordinate the effort, HAZ is proposing a National Tourism Readiness Taskforce comprising HAZ, BAZ, ZTA, the Ministry of Tourism, pension funds, development partners and technical experts. The taskforce would monitor financing, refurbishment progress and workforce readiness, while publishing quarterly reports and maintaining a national readiness dashboard so the public can see what is progressing and what is stalled.
The programme has set clear near-term targets. By December 2026, HAZ aims to have at least ten professionally prepared funding proposals submitted to lenders, with more than five projects reaching financial close and full adoption of the Bankability Toolkit by participating members. By mid-2027, refurbishment projects should be underway across the country.
Beyond IATF 2029, the legacy is intended to be lasting. The goal is stronger tourism infrastructure, improved international connectivity, a better-trained workforce, expanded access to finance for SMEs and women-led enterprises, and a permanent mechanism for coordinating investment across the sector.
“The time for dialogue has passed,” HAZ said. “This is about connecting capital to capacity. If we get this right, IATF 2029 will not just be an event. It will be the launchpad for the tourism economy Vision 2030 promised.”
Stakeholders across the value chain have now been called to partner, because in tourism, as in construction, 2029 will arrive whether the paint is dry or not.
