Masvingo Takes the World Stage as Zimbabwe Bets on Sport, Heritage and Tourism

MASVINGO, Zimbabwe — For four days this September, the ancient city of Masvingo will become the meeting point of Zimbabwe’s past, present and future.

From September 9 to 12, 2026, Masvingo will host the 19th Sanganai/Hlanganani Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo, bringing together international tourism buyers, exhibitors, sporting communities and tourism stakeholders in what Government hopes will be more than an annual trade exhibition.

This year’s showcase is being positioned as a statement of intent: that tourism can drive economic growth beyond the country’s traditional tourism centres, while sport and heritage can open new doors for communities and businesses.

Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi and Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Anselem Sanyatwe have jointly placed the expo within the wider national development agenda, linking it to economic devolution, infrastructure development and the ambitions of National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and Vision 2030.

At the centre of the story is Masvingo itself — a city whose history stretches back centuries and whose most powerful tourism asset, Great Zimbabwe, remains one of the country’s most recognisable symbols.

Choosing Masvingo as the host city gives this year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani a distinctive character.

Great Zimbabwe is not simply another tourist attraction. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important archaeological and cultural landmarks in Southern Africa.

Its presence gives Zimbabwe an opportunity to tell a tourism story rooted in identity, history and civilisation — while connecting that heritage to modern travel experiences.

The wider region also offers access to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, creating opportunities to link cultural tourism, wildlife, conservation and cross-border travel into a broader regional tourism proposition.

For international buyers arriving in Masvingo, therefore, the expo is expected to offer more than exhibition stands and business meetings. It provides a gateway into a part of Zimbabwe with a story that can be sold to the world.

Perhaps the most significant new dimension of the 2026 showcase is the deliberate marriage of sport and tourism.

Minister Sanyatwe has unveiled a Sports Tourism Carnival featuring disciplines including football, netball, Volleyball, and marathons, bringing sporting activity into the wider Sanganai/Hlanganani Dzimbahwe programme.

The idea is simple but potentially powerful: people do not only travel to see places; increasingly, they travel to participate in and watch experiences.

A football tournament can fill hotels.

A marathon can bring hundreds or thousands of visitors into a city.

A golf event can attract a different class of traveller and generate spending across accommodation, restaurants, transport and leisure.

A cultural festival can encourage visitors to stay longer and explore beyond the event itself.

That is the economic opportunity Zimbabwe is seeking to unlock.

The inclusion of tertiary institutions and local talent also gives the sports programme a community dimension, creating opportunities for young athletes and students to participate in an industry that has traditionally been viewed separately from tourism.

The international interest surrounding this year’s expo is equally significant.

A total of 133 international buyers have been secured for the 2026 edition — representing a 49.4 percent increase from 2025 — alongside 392 registered exhibitors.

Behind those numbers are potential business relationships: tour operators looking for products, hotels seeking new markets, destinations seeking international exposure and buyers searching for experiences they can package and sell.

For Zimbabwe’s tourism industry, that marketplace matters.

An international buyer who discovers a new destination in Masvingo could ultimately send visitors not only to Great Zimbabwe, but also to Victoria Falls, Hwange, Matobo, Mana Pools and other destinations across the country.

In that sense, Sanganai/Hlanganani is not simply about the city hosting it. It is about using one national platform to sell the Zimbabwean tourism experience as a whole.

One of the most important outcomes of taking the expo to Masvingo may be what remains after the visitors leave.

The event has already triggered infrastructure activity, including municipal road rehabilitation.

The launch of direct Air Zimbabwe commercial flights linking Harare with Masvingo and Chiredzi also adds an important dimension to the region’s accessibility.

For tourism to grow, visitors need more than attractions. They need roads, flights, accommodation, reliable services and venues capable of handling major events.

Infrastructure therefore becomes part of the tourism product itself.

Every improved road makes a destination easier to reach. Every additional flight creates another connection to a market. Every upgraded venue increases the city’s ability to host conferences, sporting events, exhibitions and entertainment.

The real test of Sanganai/Hlanganani Dzimbahwe  2026 will not be measured only by the number of buyers who attend or exhibitors who occupy stands.

Its lasting success will be determined by whether the relationships formed in Masvingo translate into bookings, investment, new tourism products, jobs and sustained business for local communities.

For small businesses, the opportunity is particularly important.

Accommodation providers, restaurants, transport operators, tour guides, craftspeople, entertainers, event companies and community tourism initiatives all stand to benefit when visitors stay longer and spend locally.

This is where the concept of tourism as an economic driver becomes tangible.

It is not only the hotel that benefits from a visitor. The visitor needs transport to the hotel, food at a restaurant, a guide for a tour, a souvenir from a local craftsman and perhaps a sporting or cultural experience.

The money moves through the community.

There is also something symbolic about holding Zimbabwe’s premier tourism trade showcase in the shadow of Great Zimbabwe.

The ancient stone walls represent a civilisation that built, traded and connected with the wider world centuries ago.

Today, Masvingo is being asked to play a different role — to connect Zimbabwe’s tourism industry with contemporary global markets.

This year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani Dzimbahwe therefore carries a message that extends beyond tourism.

It says Zimbabwe’s tourism story is not confined to one city, one attraction or one type of traveller.

It can be built around heritage and sport, wildlife and culture, business and adventure.

And if the ambitions of the 2026 expo are realised, Masvingo could emerge from these four days with more than memories of a major event.

It could emerge with new connections, stronger infrastructure, increased visibility and a stronger claim to its place on Zimbabwe’s tourism map.

From the ancient stones of Great Zimbabwe to the roar of the stadium, Masvingo is showing that the country’s heritage and its future can share the same stage.