BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
Zimbabwe’s hotel sector posted modest growth in the first quarter of 2026, with average national hotel room occupancy rising to 38 percent, up from 37 percent recorded during the same period last year, latest tourism performance figures show.
The figures, contained in the First Quarter 2026 Tourism Performance Report, point to a gradually strengthening hospitality sector, driven by increased domestic travel, improved regional connectivity and growing international arrivals.
While the national increase was marginal, several provinces recorded significant gains, highlighting an uneven but encouraging recovery across the country.
Manicaland emerged as one of the strongest performers, with average hotel occupancy surging from 27 percent in 2025 to 42 percent in 2026, a remarkable 15 percentage-point increase.
Mashonaland East also posted impressive growth, with occupancy more than doubling from 8 percent to 19 percent, while Midlands and Masvingo each recorded eight percentage-point gains, reaching 40 percent and 32 percent respectively.
Despite remaining among the country’s strongest accommodation markets, the major urban centres of Harare and Bulawayo experienced slight declines. Harare’s average occupancy dropped from 48 percent to 45 percent, while Bulawayo slipped from 37 percent to 36 percent.
Meanwhile, some provinces faced notable challenges. Mashonaland Central recorded one of the sharpest declines, dropping from 26 percent to 17 percent, while Matabeleland South fell from 16 percent to 10 percent.
According to the report, the mixed provincial performance comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s broader tourism sector is showing strong momentum, with international tourist arrivals increasing by 11 percent to 384,561, while domestic tourism trips rose by 35 percent to 2.62 million during the quarter.
The report noted that although geopolitical disruptions and rising fuel costs affected inbound tourism in March, Zimbabwe’s growing domestic market and stronger regional travel are expected to continue supporting hotel occupancy for the remainder of the year.
