British Airways said on Friday it will continue supporting initiatives being taken by the Zimbabwean government and other stakeholders to promote tourism in the southern African country.

The airliner's sales support executive Rachelle Gough said here in Harare they would support the Zimbabwean government's tourism drive because they believed the country would soon regain its status as one of the world's premier tourist destinations.

"We are very supportive of initiative being taken to improve tourism in Zimbabwe. If tourism improves, everyone in the country benefits, so we will also play our part," she said.

She said despite the harsh economic environment, British Airways would continue to operate in the country because it believed the economy would soon be revived.

Gough said part of British Airways' initiatives to revive tourism include providing special rates for advertising the country on their trips.

She said this was one of the reasons they were offering special rates for their World Traveler Plus from September to November. This is a private cabin with a maximum of 40 seats with more legroom.

The Zimbabwean government has prioritized the revival of tourism under the National Economic Development Priority Program ( NEDPP).

The country's tourism industry was affected by negative publicity due to the land reform program, which the government embarked on in 2000 to address the imbalance in land distribution.

Zimbabwe's tourism industry contributes six percent to gross domestic product and 10 percent to total foreign currency earnings.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2006)