A group of 13 Japanese university students are on a two-week tour of Zimbabwe, where they hope to learn more about the country’s history, culture, politics, economics, environment, wildlife, arts and entertainment.
The students are members of Millennium Promise Japan (MPJ). This non-profit organization supports development projects in Sub-Saharan Africa and promotes awareness of the continent among the Japanese.
The tour was facilitated by the Zimbabwe Embassy in Tokyo, which invited MPJ to visit the country after a destination presentation in December 2023 at the Tokyo University of Foreign Languages.
The students have a packed itinerary that includes visits to Harare and its surroundings, Masvingo, Bulawayo, Hwange and Victoria Falls. They will also meet with the tourism minister and local communities to discuss their observations and suggestions.
The students are documenting their daily experiences on Instagram, the X and YouTube, where they have a large following. They hope to inspire more Japanese tourists to visit Zimbabwe and to foster a deeper understanding and friendship between the two nations.
Zimbabwe is a key tourism source market for Japan, and the youthful segment is one of the major targets with great potential to influence a larger proportion through the social media network.
The tour is part of Zimbabwe’s efforts to boost its tourism sector, which aims to achieve a 5 billion tourism economy and to align with Vision 2030, which seeks to transform the country into an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
