Liberation City Emerges as Harare’s Premier Tourism Asset

Liberation City is fast emerging as Harare’s premier tourism asset, blending heritage, conferencing, leisure and culture, and positioning the capital as a key urban tourism and MICE destination (image source)

HARARE — When Forbes Magazine named Zimbabwe the world’s number one tourism destination for 2025, global attention largely centred on Victoria Falls, the Eastern Highlands and Great Zimbabwe. Yet in the capital, a rapidly rising attraction is quietly reshaping urban tourism: Liberation City.

For tour operators, diplomats and conference organisers, Liberation City has become Harare’s most dependable and fast-growing tourism asset, anchoring the city’s repositioning as a viable urban tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) destination. Unlike conventional attractions, the development blends heritage, dining, conferencing, leisure and retail across a sprawling 101-hectare site, all framed within a distinctly African aesthetic.

Built on what was once Zimbabwe’s largest dumpsite, Liberation City represents one of the country’s most striking urban regeneration projects, transforming an environmental liability into a vibrant cultural and economic hub.

At the heart of the development is the Museum of African Liberation, a project of both national and continental significance. Scheduled for completion in 2026, ahead of Zimbabwe’s hosting of the 2027 African Union Mid-Year Summit, the museum has already become a default stop for visiting royalty, presidents, prime ministers and high-level international delegations.

Liberation City has increasingly positioned itself as a venue for diplomatic and cultural engagement. In December 2023, the Russian State University of Humanities mounted an exhibition highlighting Russia’s role in Africa’s liberation struggles. More recently, the Harare Sunset Skydeck hosted a diplomatic luncheon attended by dozens of envoys, including United States ambassador Pamela Tremont and ZANU PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, underscoring the site’s emerging role as a platform for soft diplomacy.

Beyond official engagements, Liberation City has become a major driver of domestic tourism. School groups, families, church organisations and casual visitors now frequent the site weekly. Heritage Village has established itself as a preferred venue for conferences, workshops, exhibitions and social events, offering Pan-African cuisine and a culturally immersive environment.

The Harare Sunset Skydeck has introduced a new perspective on the capital’s skyline, while construction is underway on a 360-degree rotating restaurant atop the Museum of African Liberation. Inspired by traditional African clay pots, the structure is set to become Zimbabwe’s highest dining venue, offering panoramic views of Harare.

Future developments include an Animal Park, an Africa-themed Amusement Park, Presidential Villas, and a five-star hotel, projects that analysts say could firmly entrench Liberation City as Harare’s leading tourism destination. Some estimates already place it among the top five most-visited sites in Zimbabwe, with potential to become the country’s leading domestic tourism hub by 2030.

As Zimbabwe enjoys renewed global tourism attention, Liberation City offers Harare a compelling product capable of retaining visitors in the capital — and encouraging them to spend. For a city long overshadowed by destination resorts elsewhere, that represents a significant shift.