Zimbabwe, China scrap visas for diplomatic, service passport holders

An agreement signed by Zimbabwe and China recently on mutual exemption of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports has come into effect this month, a Foreign Affairs official said Tuesday.

"The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was signed between Zimbabwe and China on August 25 came into effect on November 12 this year," said the official.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi signed the agreement on behalf of Zimbabwe during a high-level visit to the Asian country in August that was led by President Robert Mugabe.

The visa exemption come at a time when the Zimbabwean Tourism Ministry is pushing for Chinese to be allowed to get visas on entry in Zimbabwe in order to boost tourist arrivals from the Asian nation. Chinese nationals are required to obtain Zimbabwean visa in their country.

Recently, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive Karikoga Kaseke said Zimbabwe was performing badly in attracting Chinese tourists and was currently ranked number 13 out of 15 countries in southern Africa.