The tourism sector recorded a marginal increase in tourist arrivals in 2013 with visitors from Africa contributing the highest number of tourists, an official at the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has said. 

Addressing a tourism consultative forum in Harare recently, ZTA chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke said the arrivals rose to 1.8 million in 2013, a marginal increase from 1.7 million recorded in 2012. 

He said transit tourists constituted 592 303 of these arrivals. 

Kaseke said on average expenditure by visitors from mainland Africa was around $250 per trip based on the 2004 Visitor Exit Survey and due to Zimbabwe's geographic location, the destination was naturally a transit hub in the region. 

He said the negative destination brand continued to haunt the nation. 

Kaseke said European tourist arrivals were 128 901 in 2013, a decline of 66% from the peak period of 1999 which had a record 380 113 European visitors.

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