MICE tourism in Zimbabwe

Ropafadzaishe Mushoorwa

When one talks of “MICE tourism,” people often look surprised or even laugh, imagining little rats on vacation. It’s easy to see why! But despite this funny reaction, MICE tourism is actually a very important and growing part of the travel industry.

According to Tetiana Dupliak (2016), MICE stands for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Congresses or Conventions, and Exhibitions. Closely linked to business travel, MICE encompasses all aspects of a traveller’s experience of staying away from home for at least one night, and incorporating elements of various travel types. The UNWTO’s definition of tourism includes travel for business or professional purposes outside one’s usual residence (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2001).

MICE tourism is a specialised segment focused on organised group travel for business objectives. Distinct from leisure tourism, MICE activities relevant to Zimbabwe include Meetings (workshops, training events), Conferences (knowledge sharing on development topics), and Exhibitions (promoting Zimbabwean products, for example at the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo). Key characteristics of MICE tourism are group travel, a business focus, higher spending, and occurrence during shoulder seasons, and balancing tourism demand.

MICE tourism offers significant economic benefits. Events generate revenue through accommodation, venues, catering, transportation, and related services, stimulating local economies and creating jobs. Beyond direct gains, MICE enhances destination branding, promoting Zimbabwe as a business and tourism hub, attracting investment and diversifying its image. These events also facilitate knowledge transfer and networking, thereby driving innovation in key sectors.

Given Zimbabwe’s resources, rich heritage, and location, MICE tourism potential is significant. However, realising this requires strategic investment in infrastructure, marketing, and capacity building. How can this form of tourism be relevant in Zimbabwe’s current economic climate, and can it contribute meaningfully to the growth of tourism and broader economic development?

Ropafadzaishe Mushoorwa is a results-driven leader with a passion for the tourism industry and climate change.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has partnered with the Marketers Association of Zimbabwe (MAZ) in an aggressive drive to create awareness of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism. To this end, the tourism promotion body last week held a luncheon for the country’s top corporate executives as part of its efforts to engage with them on incentive travel in Harare.

This was revealed by the ZTA Public Relations Manager, Godfrey Koti in a media statement he issued yesterday.

“The objective of the event was to educate corporate executives on the incentive travel strategy which entails rewarding and recognizing excellent performance and loyalty of employees thereby benefiting the employer through improved productivity,” Koti said.

ZTA Chief Executive Officer, Winnie Muchanyuka addressed the executives on the organisation’s drive to entice corporates to embrace the concept of incentivising or motivating their employees or partners through adopting travel as an incentive. Muchanyuka also stressed that incentive travel was a critical subset of the MICE industry.

Businessman and Victoria Falls destination management company owner, Kumbi Chiweshe also presented on incentive travel while MAZ Vice President, Emiliah Mabika applauded the ZTA for engaging with corporates directly.

MICE: Understanding this key tourism sector

ZTA engages marketers on incentive travel