On 18 September 2026, the Tourism Act, 2026 (Act No. 5 of 2026) was published in the Government Gazette through General Notice 1827/2026. The Act repeals and replaces the Tourism Act [Chapter 14:20] and introduces a revised framework for the regulation, development and promotion of Zimbabwe’s tourism and hospitality industry.
The Tourism Act, 2026 represents a substantive and structural change to Zimbabwe’s tourism regulatory framework. It modernises the institutional framework governing the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (“ZTA”), strengthens regulatory and enforcement mechanisms, expressly regulates online accommodation booking platforms and hosts, provides greater oversight of tourist facilities, establishes a statutory framework for Government-controlled tourism facilities, restructures the Zimbabwe Tourism Fund and introduces express requirements concerning sustainable tourism, gender equality, disability inclusion and indigenous rights.
The Act is, however, enacted and published but not yet operational. In terms of section 1(2), it will come into operation on a date to be fixed by the President through a statutory instrument. This means that the existing regulatory framework remains applicable until the commencement of the new Act.
The background to the new legislation includes the changing nature of the tourism industry, particularly digitisation and the growth of online accommodation platforms. The new framework therefore seeks to respond to developments in the tourism sector while retaining the core regulatory functions previously performed under the Tourism Act.
This article considers the key changes introduced by the Tourism Act, 2026 and their implications for tourism operators, developers, property owners and other stakeholders in Zimbabwe’s tourism and hospitality industry.
OBJECTS OF THE NEW ACT
Section 3 sets out the objects of the new Act, including promoting tourism as a means of economic development, maintaining standards within the tourism industry, promoting sustainable tourism and facilitating the development of tourism products and infrastructure.
The new framework is therefore not limited to regulating tourism operators. It seeks to provide a broader statutory framework for the development and promotion of Zimbabwe as a tourism destination.
ZIMBABWE TOURISM AUTHORITY AND ITS EXPANDED MANDATE
The Tourism Act, 2026 continues the existence of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. Section 4 provides for the Authority as a body corporate capable of suing and being sued and of doing all acts and things that bodies corporate may lawfully do.
The continuity of the ZTA is important because the new Act does not establish an entirely new regulator. Instead, it re-establishes the ZTA on a strengthened corporate governance and regulatory footing.
Section 5 sets out the functions of the Authority. These include licensing and regulating tourism activities, promoting Zimbabwe as a tourism destination, establishing standards, promoting training and human resource development, registering and grading designated tourist facilities, undertaking tourism planning and research, developing tourism databases and providing consultancy and advisory services in relation to tourism.
The Authority is also involved in the preparation of a national tourism development plan, in consultation with the relevant Council and the Mosi Oa Tunya Development Company and its subsidiaries.
The new Act therefore retains the ZTA’s traditional regulatory and promotional functions while expanding its role in compliance, planning, information gathering and sector oversight.
NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COMPOSITION AND APPOINTMENT OF THE ZTA BOARD
One of the significant institutional changes concerns the composition of the ZTA Board.
Under the former Act, the Board consisted of a chairperson, deputy chairperson, the Chief Executive Officer and between six and eight other members, with the members required to possess general knowledge, ability and experience relevant to the functions of the Authority.
Section 6 of the new Act provides for a Board consisting of between six and twelve members, with at least half of the members being women.
The new Board is also required to have a more structured and multidisciplinary professional composition. Among other requirements, two members must possess a recognised qualification or knowledge in tourism or hospitality, one must be a legal practitioner in terms of the Legal Practitioners Act, and one must be an accountant registered under the Public Accountants and Auditors Act.
Other members are to possess expertise in areas including economics, business administration, marketing, finance and accounting, conservation and human resources.
The Chief Executive Officer and a representative of the Ministry are ex officio members, although they do not have voting rights.
The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson must be of opposite genders, while provision is also made for regional representation. The Second Schedule provides for the terms and conditions of Board membership, including a four-year term renewable once, subject to an aggregate maximum of eight years, as well as provisions concerning disqualification, meetings, committees and conflicts of interest.
The new structure represents a move towards a more professional, multidisciplinary and gender-inclusive Board, consistent with broader corporate governance principles applicable to public entities.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND MINISTERIAL OVERSIGHT
Section 7 provides for the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer, subject to the approval of the President. The CEO may serve for a maximum period of five years, renewable once.
The Chief Executive Officer is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Authority and has functions that include registration and grading of tourist facilities.
The Act also provides for reporting and ministerial oversight. The Minister may issue policy directions to the Authority, but such directions must be consistent with the Act, given in good faith and be prospective in operation and within the scope of the Minister’s statutory authority.
The Board is required to respond to a policy direction within 30 days, and the annual reporting framework provides for disclosure concerning the exercise of such directions.
GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED TOURISM FACILITIES AND THE MOSI OA TUNYA DEVELOPMENT COMPANY
The new Act introduces a statutory framework for Government-controlled tourism facilities and the Mosi Oa Tunya Development Company.
The Mosi Oa Tunya Development Company is wholly owned by Government and its objects include developing, managing and promoting tourism investment.
It is provided as a holding company for Government-controlled tourism facilities and tourism-related entities, including subsidiaries.
The statutory recognition of this structure is significant because it provides a formal corporate framework for Government tourism assets and tourism-related entities.
The Minister may also secure the formation and incorporation of subsidiaries and independent entities where necessary.
RESTRUCTURED ZIMBABWE TOURISM FUND
The Tourism Act, 2026 also establishes a Zimbabwe Tourism Fund.
The Fund is intended to support the development and promotion of tourism and hospitality, the collection and disbursement of revenue in accordance with the national tourism development plan and the development of tourism infrastructure.
The Fund is vested in the Minister as trustee and is administered through a Council comprising representatives of Government, the tourism and hospitality industry, the Attorney-General and the Mosi Oa Tunya Development Company, among others.
The sources of the Fund include Parliamentary appropriations, tourism levies, approved donations and loans and other approved financial assistance.
The monies constituting the Fund are treated as public funds for purposes of the Public Finance Management Act. The Fund may therefore only be applied towards approved and budgeted expenditure.
This provides a stronger financial architecture for tourism development while also introducing public-finance accountability into the administration of tourism-sector funds.
DESIGNATION, REGISTRATION AND GRADING OF TOURIST FACILITIES
Part VI of the Act provides for the designation, registration and grading of tourist facilities.
Section 22 empowers the Minister to designate a tourism service, premises or amenity as a “designated tourist facility”.
Where regulations require registration or grading, section 23 prohibits the operation of the designated facility without such registration or grading. The ZTA is expressly empowered to shut down an unregistered facility.
Operating without the required registration or grading constitutes an offence punishable by a level 12 fine or imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
The Act therefore strengthens the existing registration and grading framework by providing a more explicit enforcement mechanism.
Sections 25 to 31 provide for applications for registration, registration and grading, certification, publication, alterations, cancellation for non-compliance and regrading.
Cancellation of registration requires notice and an opportunity for the affected person to make written representations. The Chief Executive Officer is also required to publish the relevant notice in the Gazette.
ZTA APPROVAL BEFORE CONSTRUCTION OF TOURIST FACILITIES
A further significant development is the involvement of the ZTA before construction of a tourist facility.
Section 25(2) provides that a person intending to construct a tourist facility must submit the building plans to the Authority for approval.
This brings the ZTA into the process at the planning and design stage rather than only after a facility has been constructed.
Developers should therefore consider ZTA compliance at the planning and design stage, in addition to planning, environmental, local authority and building requirements.
LICENSING OF OWNERS AND OPERATORS
The Act distinguishes between registration and grading of a tourist facility and the licensing of persons who own, conduct or operate such facilities or provide or assist in providing tourism services.
Part VIII provides for the licensing of owners and operators. Where regulations require a licence, it is an offence to operate without the requisite licence.
Licensing officers are empowered to issue and cancel licences. Before cancellation, the affected person must be afforded a reasonable opportunity to make representations.
This distinction is important because compliance under the new framework is not limited to the status of the facility itself. Operators and persons providing tourism services may also be subject to separate licensing requirements.
EXPRESS REGULATION OF ONLINE ACCOMMODATION PLATFORMS
One of the most significant developments under the Tourism Act, 2026 is the express regulation of online accommodation booking platforms.
The former Tourism Act pre-dates the widespread use of online accommodation platforms and therefore did not provide a specific regulatory framework for this sector.
Sections 32 to 35 introduce specific requirements for online accommodation platforms and their hosts.
Section 33 requires every host to register with the Authority before listing a property on an accommodation booking platform. The platform itself must ensure that hosts are registered and licensed.
Licences are valid for 12 months and are subject to inspection and renewal.
Section 34 further requires hosts to maintain transaction records, furnish quarterly reports and comply with zoning, health and safety requirements. Hosts must also cooperate with inspections by the Authority.
The Authority may prescribe additional data and reporting requirements.
Existing online accommodation platforms and hosts are given a 90-day period from the commencement of the Act within which to comply with the new requirements.The new framework represents a major development for short-term property owners and digital accommodation businesses, bringing the online accommodation sector into the formal tourism regulatory framework for the first time.
The Act also makes provision concerning family and dormitory accommodation, including requirements relating to sleeping space and ventilation.
GREATER INFORMATION AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The new Act introduces greater information and reporting obligations within the tourism sector.
Section 48 empowers the ZTA to require operators to furnish information and statistics concerning tourists, excursionists and designated tourist facilities.
The information-gathering framework is intended to support tourism planning, investment, infrastructure development, destination marketing and assessment of sector performance.
Failure or refusal to provide required information, as well as providing false or misleading information, constitutes an offence.
For tourism operators, this means that compliance will extend beyond registration and licensing to include continuing information and reporting obligations.
INSPECTIONS AND POWERS OF DESIGNATED OFFICERS
The Act strengthens the inspection and compliance powers available to the regulator.
Section 43 provides for the designation of employees and licensing officers as designated officers.
Section 44 empowers the Chief Executive Officer, licensing officers and designated officers to enter and inspect premises where reasonably necessary for purposes of enforcing standards and compliance.
The Act also provides for examination and seizure in appropriate circumstances, together with provisions concerning good faith and confidentiality.
The result is a more comprehensive inspection and compliance regime, requiring tourism operators to maintain an ongoing compliance relationship with the ZTA rather than treating registration or licensing as a once-off administrative exercise.
APPEALS AND REGULATORY OVERSIGHT
The Act provides a statutory mechanism for challenging regulatory decisions.
Section 42 permits an aggrieved person to appeal against specified decisions concerning registration, cancellation, grading and licensing.
Appeals may ultimately lie to the Administrative Court against the Minister’s determination in relation to registration, cancellation and grading.
Where registration or grading has been cancelled, an appeal suspends the cancellation until the appeal has been finally determined. The Minister may also temporarily renew or extend registration during the appeal process.
This provides an important procedural safeguard for tourism operators affected by regulatory decisions.
TOURISM LEVIES
Section 46 provides for tourism levies. The Minister may prescribe the levy, the persons responsible for paying it and the manner in which it is to be collected and remitted.
The levies are paid into the Tourism Fund and are therefore directly connected to the statutory financing of tourism development.
The levy framework creates a link between revenue generated from the tourism industry and expenditure directed towards the development and promotion of the sector.
CIVIL PENALTY ORDERS
The new Act introduces civil penalty orders as an additional enforcement mechanism.
Section 47, read with the Third Schedule, identifies specified infringements for which civil penalty orders may be imposed.
The procedure includes the issuance of a notice to show cause and an opportunity for the affected person to be heard before enforcement.
In addition to criminal offences and administrative sanctions, civil penalty orders introduce another layer of enforcement and recovery.
Tourism operators will therefore need to pay attention not only to the consequences of criminal non-compliance but also to the financial consequences that may arise through civil penalty mechanisms.
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AS A STATUTORY REQUIREMENT
Section 49 requires tourism policies, programmes and projects to incorporate sustainable development.
The provision specifically addresses environmental protection, cultural preservation and socio-economic equity.
The effect is to mainstream sustainability into tourism planning, regulation and investment rather than treating it merely as a policy consideration.
Major tourism developments may therefore require environmental and social impact assessments and the application of appropriate environmental and social best practices.
Sustainability is accordingly elevated to a statutory requirement within the tourism regulatory framework.
GENDER EQUALITY, DISABILITY INCLUSION AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
Section 50 introduces express provisions concerning gender equality, disability inclusion and the rights of indigenous peoples.
The Act provides for the mainstreaming of gender, disability and indigenous peoples in tourism development.
It also addresses women and youth participation in tourism, universal design and accessibility, inclusive training and the need for prior informed consent from indigenous communities where tourism development affects ancestral lands.
The new framework therefore recognises that tourism development is not solely concerned with visitors and economic activity, but also with participation, accessibility, cultural interests and equitable benefit sharing.
These provisions represent a significant development from the former framework by expressly incorporating inclusion and indigenous rights into tourism regulation.
ADMINISTRATIVE POWERS, CONFIDENTIALITY AND CLIENT RECORDS
The Act imposes additional administrative obligations on designated tourist facilities.
Section 41 requires designated facilities to maintain registers of clients and to produce such registers when required by a designated officer, police officer or immigration officer.
The Act also contains provisions protecting confidentiality and regulating the exercise of powers by officials acting in good faith.
These provisions strengthen the administrative and compliance framework applicable to tourism operators.
REGULATION-MAKING POWERS
Section 51 confers broad regulation-making powers.
The regulations may address matters including registration and grading, licensing qualifications, tourist development zones, mandatory insurance and compulsory training.
This is particularly important because a number of the practical requirements under the Act will depend on regulations made under the new framework.
The regulations will therefore be critical to understanding the full compliance obligations that will apply to tourism operators once the Act comes into operation.
OFFENCES AND TRANSITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS
Section 52 creates offences relating to matters including obstruction, false or misleading information and false registration or licensing.
The applicable penalties include a level 12 fine or imprisonment for up to one year.
Section 54 repeals the former Tourism Act, subject to savings provisions relating to regulations, by-laws, licences, certificates, permits, Board and staff matters.
The transitional provisions are therefore important in ensuring continuity between the existing framework and the new statutory regime.
WHAT DOES THE NEW ACT MEAN FOR TOURISM OPERATORS?
The practical implications of the new Act will become clearer once the commencement date and regulations have been issued. However, tourism operators, developers and property owners should already begin assessing the implications of the new framework.
Hotels, lodges and other designated tourist facilities should review their existing registration, grading and licensing arrangements.
Owners of short-term accommodation properties operating through online platforms should consider the new registration and licensing requirements and the obligations imposed on hosts.
Developers of tourist facilities should take account of the requirement for ZTA approval of building plans at the planning and design stage.
Operators should also prepare for increased information and reporting obligations, inspections and enforcement measures.
The regulatory framework is therefore broader than the former system. Compliance is no longer confined to obtaining a licence or registration certificate. It encompasses continuing obligations relating to standards, information, inspections, reporting, sustainability and other regulatory requirements.
The commencement statutory instrument and regulations should accordingly be closely monitored.
CONCLUSION
The Tourism Act, 2026 represents a substantial modernisation of Zimbabwe’s tourism regulatory framework.
The Act retains the core registration, grading and licensing functions associated with the ZTA while significantly expanding the Authority’s institutional, regulatory and enforcement mandate.
Among the principal developments are the new composition and governance requirements for the ZTA Board, strengthened enforcement mechanisms, ZTA approval of building plans for tourist facilities, express regulation of online accommodation platforms and hosts, the statutory framework for Government-controlled tourism facilities and the Mosi Oa Tunya Development Company, the restructured Tourism Fund, civil penalty orders, enhanced information and reporting requirements and express statutory provisions on sustainable tourism, gender equality, disability inclusion and indigenous rights.
The Act is particularly significant because it responds to developments in the tourism industry that were not contemplated by the former Tourism Act, including the growth of digital accommodation platforms.
However, implementation remains critical. The Act has been enacted and published but has not yet commenced, and a number of its operational requirements will depend upon regulations and administrative mechanisms to be introduced under the new framework.
The period before commencement therefore presents an opportunity for tourism operators, developers, property owners and other stakeholders to review their current operations, assess the new requirements and prepare for compliance.
Stakeholders should closely monitor the commencement statutory instrument and regulations, particularly those relating to registration and grading, licensing, insurance, tourist development zones, levies, information and reporting requirements and the regulation of online accommodation platforms.
The new framework is ultimately intended to provide a more modern, structured and comprehensive regulatory environment for Zimbabwe’s tourism industry while supporting tourism development, investment, sustainability and inclusive participation in the sector.
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