Harare has unveiled a new seasonal tourism attraction built around its famous Jacaranda bloom.
The maiden ZimBho Purple Bloom and Pink Ribbons event was hosted at Borrowdale Racecourse and officially launched by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi.
Rwodzi commended the partnership between Turf Culture Africa, Mashonaland Turf Club, Magitare Trust and the Ministry for breathing new life into horse racing and packaging it as a lifestyle tourism product that fuses sport, fashion, food, culture and entertainment.
The festival was strategically timed to coincide with the flowering of Jacarandas across the capital, using the natural spectacle to drive domestic travel and market Harare as a must-visit destination during the purple season.
The race card featured six races, with the ZimBho Purple Bloom Cup and the CancerServe Pink Ribbon Cup as the headline events. The latter linked tourism with health advocacy, incorporating breast cancer awareness in line with Pink October.
The day was complemented by live performances from Jah Prayzah, Victor Kunonga, Feli Nandi and Shami Tuku, showcasing how sport, culinary experiences and entertainment can be combined into a unique offering that boosts hospitality, supports local enterprises and creates jobs.
Beyond the spectacle, the initiative aligns directly with Vision 2030 and National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2). Under NDS2, tourism is positioned as a strategic pillar for economic transformation, job creation, and foreign currency generation. By diversifying products beyond traditional wildlife offerings, promoting domestic and heritage-based tourism, and adopting a whole-of-society approach that leaves no place behind, the Purple Bloom concept advances Government’s drive to build a competitive, inclusive, resilient and sustainable US$10 billion tourism economy by 2030.
