New hub to boost arrivals
ZIMBABWE is set to
become a flourishing
tourism hub in
Africa, having invested in
several important tourism
developments over the past
few months. In particular, the
new Victoria Falls International
Airport is expected to enhance
the country’s attractiveness as
a tourism destination.
Francis Ngwenya, president
of the Zimbabwe Council for
Tourism, told TNW that the
country had suffered extended
periods of depressed tourist
arrivals and ongoing economic
difficulties. However, recent
investments in tourism had
positioned the country as a
competitive destination.
“The entire sector has been
highly active in promoting
Zimbabwe as a destination,”
Francis says. “This promotion
has been primarily aimed at
leisure travellers but also
at business travellers. Most
recently, we have seen a
major growth in promotion
of Zimbabwe as a meetings,
incentive travel, conferences
and events destination.”
The launch of a regional visa
for visitors to the SADC region;
the opening up of transfrontier
national parks; and a greater
willingness within the SADC
to co-operate for tourism
promotion and development,
are also major milestones,
notes Francis. “Within
Zimbabwe, there have been
moves to incentivise operators
to upgrade their product
and undertake significant
additional promotional activity,
regionally and internationally,”
he adds.
However, the most important
development in Zimbabwe has
been the expansion project
at Victoria Falls International
Airport. “The current
multimillion-dollar exercise will
position the airport as one of
the most modern and useful
in Africa. It will be able to
accommodate arrivals of longhaul,
wide-body aircraft and
will increase the number of
travellers who can visit Victoria
Falls and surrounding areas,”
comments Francis.
The opening of the airport’s
new terminal will result in
greater seat capacity and
therefore lower prices for
flights and holiday packages,
comments Lindi Mthethwa,
regional manager for African
Sun Hotels. “The new
developments will create a
good platform to position
Zimbabwe as tourism hub, as
the direct access will make
the flying times shorter and
airfares cheaper. Consequently,
destination packages will be
less expensive.”
Zimbabwe’s Tourism Minister,
Walter Mzembi, recently
projected that the new airport
would culminate in 1,8 million
more arrivals annually, thereby
generating more than US$5bn
(about R60bn) for the country.
Air Zimbabwe will now
be able to facilitate “huge
international traffic”,
says Shingai Dhliwayo,
spokesperson for Air
Zimbabwe.
“We are confident that the
sound infrastructure that is
being developed within our
destination will encourage
tourists to choose to land and
take off with the country’s
very own flag carrier and
enjoy the various exciting
wonders of our world.” She
says developments at the
JM Nkomo International
(Bulawayo) and Victoria Falls
airports are key indicators of
the government’s commitment
to the development of aviation
in the country.
Francis foresees that the
expansion of the airport
will ultimately enable the
local travel and tourism
sector to increase business
and occupancies to record
numbers that could exceed the
numbers Zimbabwe enjoyed
in the late 1990s. “In due
course, it will also stimulate
expansion of all amenities and
facilities,” he adds.
However, Emmanuel Fundira,
group ce Astec Leisure Group,
warns that the challenge
will be to attract investment
into the sector, which would
improve product quality
and bring in the required
consistency levels for the
more discerning consumer.
He says the increase in
traffic on its own will see an
improvement in average daily
rates and make it easier for
operators to re-invest in the
product.
According to Francis, a
number of new airlines have
shown interest in servicing
Victoria Falls with new
scheduled flights. “We look
forward to more international
carriers joining the current
service providers and are
especially excited at the
prospect of long-haul air
services using Victoria Falls,
as either the end destination
or linking it to other African
destinations such as Cape
Town, the Indian Ocean islands
and Kilimanjaro.”
Get the VIP treatment!
THE African Sun Victoria
Falls Hotel has recently
introduced its ‘Stables
Signature Wing’ offering.
Clients who opt for the
Stables Signature Wing will
be privy to a private checkin
at the Stables section
of the hotel. Guests will
be treated to a special
gift of Belgian chocolates,
a massage voucher and
a complimentary cocktail
and canapes on arrival.
They’ll also receive free
use of the mini-bar as well
as afternoon tea. WiFi will
be offered free of charge
to guests at the Stables
Signature Wing.
Exchange rates pose a challenge
DESPITE these positive
developments, travel to
Zimbabwe can be challenging
for South African travellers,
with the crippling rate of
exchange a considerable
stumbling block.
Minister Walter Mzembi
recently told Zimbabwe’s
parliament that the weakening
rand was having an adverse
impact on tourism arrivals.
In the last two years, the
number of people coming
from South Africa to
Zimbabwe has dropped. This
is particularly concerning as
Zimbabwe depends on South
Africa for 70% of its visitors.
Francis Ngwenya agrees
that the weakening of the
rand is a major problem
for the Zimbabwe travel
and tourism sector as
prices in Zimbabwe are US
dollar-based. “This makes
Zimbabwe an expensive
destination for South African
travellers and we have
witnessed a decline in arrivals
of both leisure and business
travellers in the past year,
which we attribute directly to
this factor.”
Zahedah Bhorat, kulula
holidays’ product manager
for Africa, says the rate of
exchange plays a major role in
selling destinations, including
Zimbabwe, as it affects the
package price per person.
“Ideally, SADC guests should
be offered a rand rate to avoid
losing bookings when the rate
of exchange is volatile.”
For South African self-drive
travellers, Zimbabwe presents
additional challenges, as the
road infrastructure is not
yet up to scratch. According
to Francis, the country will
need to invest in its air travel
and the creation of new and
improved road transport
services to attract a greater
number of South African selfdrive
travellers.
Indeed, he notes that the
government has already
started to invest in a number
of projects to rehabilitate
the road infrastructure in
Zimbabwe. Roads between
Plumtree and Bulawayo,
Bulawayo and Harare, and
Harare and Mutare have
already been completed,
and other key routes will be
upgraded soon.
For the sports fanatics…
CRESTA Lodge in Harare is
positioning itself as a hub for
sports teams and travellers.
The hotel is conveniently
located near Harare’s sporting
venues, business centre and
airport and has recently signed
agreements with some of
Zimbabwe’s well-known sports
teams.
The most recent agreement
was signed with Zimbabwe
Cricket and sees Cresta
Lodge hosting a range of
international cricket teams.
First to call was the Indian
cricket team, who were visiting
Harare for a series of oneday
internationals and a T20
tournament. The New Zealand
cricket team have also already
booked a space at the lodge.
The lodge has also
welcomed the Zimbabwean
and Moldovan tennis teams,
who met in a Davis Cup tie in
Harare. Ongoing liaison with
Tennis Zimbabwe will see other
international tennis stars using
Cresta Lodge as their home
venue in the near future.
Glenn Stutchbury, Cresta
ceo, says the lodge has long
hosted the SuperSport outside
broadcast team. “Sports
teams like the modern and
comfortable accommodation,
the food and the other
facilities and amenities, as
well as the location of the
lodge and the ease with which
other venues in the city can
be reached. In addition, the
grounds of the lodge, with
their extensive tree cover and
lawns, offer a super place for
physical fitness training and
jogging,” he comments.
5 ultimate Vic Falls
experiences
VICTORIA Falls is well
known for its beautiful
venues, complemented by
great group packages and
convenient facilities. But
it also has a great deal
to offer when it comes to
unique experiences. Darise
Foster asked Robin Brown,
managing and operations
director at Cansaf – a
specialist DMC offering
professional destination
management in the Victoria
Falls region – and John
Ridler, media and public
relations manager at
Thompsons Holidays, for
their top recommendations.
Sunset cruising
There are few sights as
breathtaking as sunset
on the Zambezi River. Not
surprisingly, both Robin and
John agree that a two-anda-
half-hour cruise on the
Zambezi, be it by sunset
or during dinnertime, is a
top choice for Vic Falls.
Unforgettable African
sunsets and numerous
animal and bird-sighting
opportunities combine to
form a highly memorable
African river experience.
Historical tours
Travellers can join a
professional tour guide on
a two-hour tour of the Falls,
delving into the history
and geography of the
region, exploring the best
viewpoints and geographic
sites. Alternatively, they can
take a village tour to the
nearby Monde area, where
they can meet with the
village headman in person.
Dine with elephants
A 20-minute drive from the
Victoria Falls is the magical
Elephant Wallow. Here
travellers can meet Africa’s
gentle giants and enjoy a
professionally administered
elephant interaction before
sitting down to lunch or
dinner in a traditional lapastyle
setting on the edge of
the Masuie River.
Take the plunge
Bucket-list experiences
serve as the ultimate kind
of adventure. Adrenalin
junkies would not want to
miss the opportunity to take
the legendary plunge off
of the Victoria Falls Bridge
on the border of Zambia
and Zimbabwe. They can
also bridge swing above
the Zambezi River or bridge
slide from the Zambian
bank of the gorge to the
Zimbabwean side of the
bridge. As visitors slide
from the gorge towards the
bridge they are treated to an
incredible view of the Falls.
Into the wild
Just a one-hour drive from
Victoria Falls, the Chobe
National Park is renowned
for its amazing wildlife. “The
day visit includes a game
drive, a game cruise and
a full lunch at one of the
plush Chobe safari lodges,”
says Robin.
