The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has directed players in the hospitality industry to come up with packages affordable to locals in order to boost domestic tourism, an official said on Monday.

Zimbabwe has been facing challenges to boost domestic tourism due to poor disposable incomes that limited people from visiting leisure sites.
ZTA public relations officer Sugar Chagonda said the packages would enable people to visit most resorts in the country at reasonable rates.

"We have engaged local players in the tourism industry to review the cost of services for local tourists," he said,
"This will promote domestic tourism in the country."

Chagonda said most people were still constrained on incomes and could not afford to tour resorts.
"We hope this move will reduce their burden as the costs of tourism services are going to be lessened."

ZTA anticipates that 2011 would bring positive results to the tourism industry in line with the anticipated growth in international tourist arrivals by between four and five percent as well as the regional growth of 13 percent.

Tourist arrival trends are expected to ride on this positive performance.
Accommodation utilisation is also expected to rise following the stabilisation of the economy and the demand resulting from the expected increase in arrivals in 2011. - New Ziana.