Skift Take
If you're reading the papers, Zimbabwe's economy looks like a disaster from the outside. But it offers one of the most interesting tourism experiences in Africa at the moment, and intrepid travelers have taken note.
Glance through the pages of the Financial Times and you'll see a story familiar to Zimbabwe’s recent history: hyperinflation.
The latest round is seeing consumer goods surge in prices. Shops have run out of staples, and peer-to-peer transactions are demanding U.S. dollars for everything out of fear of further devaluation of the national currency.
For 20 years following its independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was Africa’s most prosperous country and a frontrunner for Africa’s favorite tourist destination. But the country has certainly not had it easy over the past several decades: there’s been a history of genocide, corrupt politicians trashing the economy, with previously thriving industries torn to tatters: tourism included. In the 1990’s, the country welcomed around 1.5 million guests a year, but with mismanagement came attrition, and guests looking elsewhere on the continent.
There’s not a lot of global capital coming to the rescue, either. According to The Economist, “The IMF and the World Bank will not offer support unless Zimbabwe repays its arrears to multilateral creditors. America opposes any plan to restart lending.” In the World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 index, Zimbabwe ranks 159 out of 190; in the Cato Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World listing for 2018, Zimbabwe is 127 out of 162.
Even with the handover of power from despot Robert Mugabe, the country still gives the impression of a place that shouldn’t exactly be on the
