Zimbabwe Launches Tourism Investment Drive in Australia to Unlock Diaspora Capital

Sydney — The Zimbabwe Government has launched a high-level tourism and investment campaign across Australia as part of broader efforts to attract diaspora capital into the country's tourism and hospitality sector, while strengthening investment partnerships under the re-engagement agenda.

Coordinated by the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry in collaboration with key economic institutions, the initiative is being held under the banner, "Zimbabwe Diaspora Tourism and Hospitality Industry Business Engagement Forum."

The Forum seeks to encourage Zimbabweans living in Australia to transition from primarily sending remittances to making long-term investments in tourism infrastructure and related sectors.

The initiative complements Government's domestic tourism promotion campaigns, ZimBho and Nhaka Yedu, Ilifa Lethu, which promote heritage-based tourism, community participation and public-private partnerships.

The campaign comprises two investment seminars designed to connect diaspora investors directly with Government agencies responsible for investment facilitation and regulation.

The first investment forum will now be held on Friday, 10 July 2026, at the Waterfront Room, Level 1 of The Promenade Docklands, 78 Newquay Promenade, Docklands in Melbourne, following a venue change from the previously announced Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Organisers have also secured discounted accommodation for interstate delegates at selected hotels, including Quest NewQuay, Marriott and Sebel Docklands.

The engagement programme will then proceed to Sydney on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, at Visy Dior Hotels International.

Leading the delegation is the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Honourable Barbara Rwodzi, who will serve as Guest of Honour.

She is accompanied by Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Chief Executive Officer Dr. George Munyaradzi Manyanya, Mosi-oa-Tunya Development Company (MOTDC) Chief Executive Officer Taona Zhou, Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Chief Executive Officer Tafadzwa Chinamo and senior officials from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ).

Officials are expected to engage potential investors on issues including investment opportunities, exchange control regulations, capital repatriation frameworks and broader investment facilitation measures.

The forum will also utilise a hybrid participation model, allowing delegates to attend physically or virtually through Zoom, YouTube and Facebook Live.

Organisers say the format is intended to broaden participation while enabling online attendees to interact directly with officials during question-and-answer sessions.

Speaking ahead of the lined up events, one of the diaspora event coordinators and forum architects, Tendai Chitafi Mataranyika said Zimbabweans living abroad should increasingly be recognised as strategic investors capable of contributing to long-term national development.

"The Diaspora community has been one of the top contributors to the Zimbabwean economy in terms of revenue injection," Mataranyika said.

She said encouraging diaspora participation across multiple sectors would strengthen national development while facilitating the transfer of international expertise.

"By engaging the Diaspora as Investors in different sectors will encourage them to feel included, acknowledged and encouraged.

"The skills transfer will see various sectors upgrading to international standards using the latest policies for areas like work health and safety," she said.

Tendai Mataranyika.

The tourism sector offers significant opportunities for diaspora investors, particularly in developing internationally competitive accommodation facilities, she said.

"In terms of tourism, the diasporans are being invited to invest in building hotels and lodges which meet the international standards in terms of structural and architectural designs and also to be run using the latest technology which will attract a lot of tourists into the country and boost our tourism and hospitality industry," she said.

Mataranyika added that increased investment in hospitality infrastructure would also create employment opportunities and that the pioneering seminars would be a yardstick to measure investment interest from diasporans.

"Our first seminars which are going to be held in Sydney and Melbourne are going to be the benchmark to test the interest of the diaspora community and their keenness to invest back home," she said.

Mataranyika also added that organisers had been encouraged by the strong response from prospective participants, with substantial numbers registering for both physical and virtual attendance.

Addressing concerns frequently raised by diaspora investors regarding engagement with Government institutions, Mataranyika said representatives from ZIDA and the RBZ would provide detailed presentations and establish direct communication channels with participants.

"The departments... are going to do presentations and share contact details so that in the long run if you need any information from RBZ in regards to investing in Zimbabwe, you have someone to go directly to," she said.

To maximise participation dedicated question-and-answer sessions will allow participants worldwide to engage directly with Government officials.

High-speed internet infrastructure has also been secured at the venues to support uninterrupted broadcasts, she revealed.

Mataranyika acknowledged that diaspora investors have historically faced various challenges when investing back home but said the Government's engagement policy had created new opportunities for dialogue and investment.

"What our President Dr E.D. Mnangagwa has done through the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Trade is to have an open invitation and an open dialogue with the Diaspora community as to what opportunities are available for them," she said.

Looking beyond the Australian campaign, Mataranyika said organisers intend to establish permanent support networks for diaspora investors and replicate similar engagement forums in other countries.

She said successful investors would also be encouraged to share their experiences to build confidence among Zimbabweans abroad considering investment opportunities back home, adding that the succes of the event will not be measured in attendance numbers but practical investment on the ground.

"The Diaspora Tourism Investment Forum is not an end in itself. The forum is intended to be a catalyst for a longer-term journey, one that seeks to establish enduring partnerships, facilitate investment pipelines, promote knowledge and technology transfer, strengthen market access and create practical pathways for diaspora participation in Zimbabwe’s tourism and broader economic development," she said.