Victoria Falls World Heritage status under threat
The governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe are in a mad scramble to complete a document to be given to UNESCO on the Victoria Falls World Heritage Site. The report was first requested by UNESCO in 2002 and then again in 2006. Various deadlines have been passed and extensions given. The latest deadline of February 1, 2010 has again passed, and UNESCO has received no document. In 2007, the joint Zambia/Zimbabwe team requested for financial assistance in the amount of US$30,000 to help them to undertake the report. UNESCO gave them this assistance but still has no report.
The private sectors on both sides of the border are very alarmed at their governments’ inability to produce this document. Not only is the report important for the continued luxury of having the Victoria Falls as a World Heritage Site, but it is also important in its content.
UNESCO required the governments to form a Joint Management Team and an Integrated Management Plan for the site. It also requested that certain issues were addressed. The main issue in 2006 was Zambia’s worrying commitment to further development within the site; development which UNESCO felt compromised its beauty and integrity. Other concerns were on invasive species such as lantana and water hyacinth; pollution in the river; the water extraction by Zambia for hydro-electricity generation; and the continued licensing of helicopters, microlights, and other tourism services.
To be fair to both governments, some measures have been undertaken to protect the World Heritage Site. A balloon operation, which started its life in Zimbabwe and then moved over to Zambia, was discontinued. The lantana on the Zambian side is being eradicated with private sector assistance; in the meantime, though, the lantana has become a forest on the Zimbabwe side. Again, on the Zambian side, the water hyacinth problem is being tackled. The development of a hotel on the Zambian side was stopped because of concerns from the private sector but still rumbles on in the background.
The Victoria Falls World Heritage Site was proclaimed in 1989. It covers the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Zambia and the Victoria Falls National Park in Zimbabwe. A buffer zone surrounds the site, which extends to a 30 kilometer radius around the Victoria Falls. When both governments signed the agreement with UNESCO in 1989, they committed themselves to work together for the protection of the Victoria Falls and its surrounding area. It seems that their half-hearted attempts at protection will avail them nothing if they cannot produce one report and work together.
There is a small window for Zambia and Zimbabwe to submit the report before the 2010 session of the World Heritage Committee; all documents have to reach UNESCO by March 15. The scramble to complete the document is to try to meet that date. In the meantime, a large delegation from Zambia’s Ministry of Tourism starts a three-week tour of Europe, visiting London, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid, to promote tourism. As Victoria Falls is Zambia’s main tourist attraction, one can only wonder how this team will explain to the world how Zambia’s main tourist attraction has been downgraded, while they were on a tour to promote it.
Source: eTurbo News (http://www.eturbonews.com/14631/victoria-falls-world-heritage-status-under-threat)
Zimbabwe/South Africa: Tourism Council Secures Personnel Training Funds
THE Zimbabwe Council for Tourism will spend US$3 million on equipping critical service personnel with essential customer service skills ahead of the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa in June.
ZCT, through the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, obtained US$1,5 million from a local non-governmental organisation, Zimhost, for the personnel training initiative.
The tourism sector representative body would chip in with an additional US$1,5 million towards the US$3 million personnel training programme.
ZCT president Emmanuel Fundira told Herald Business that the initiative would cover all critical customer service personnel from both the private and public sectors ahead of the football showpiece.
Mr Fundira said the training programme would involve key service personnel from such areas as the tourism sector, immigration, police, army and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, among many others.
The aim, said the ZCT boss, was to change the customer service culture in the country for better to reap full benefits from the World Cup.
“We have secured funding from an NGO (Zimhost) for improvement of the customer service delivery system and we will train all stakeholders who are Zimbabwean nationals to improve customer service.
“We sought to partner Government in promoting tourism and this came through support from the NGO in which the parties will each contribute 50 percent to the total budget for the training programme.
“We initiated the idea to train people in customer service in various facets so that when we interface with visitors, there is a marked difference in the national
customer service delivery culture,” he said.
Zimhost was formed to foster the spirit of unconditional, collective hospitality in Zimbabwe by improving service standards nationally through training, and creating awareness of the importance of the individual’s role in their place of work, and as ambassadors of their community and of their country.
Founding sponsors were the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Organisation Training & Development and African Sun Limited, Delta Corporation, Qantas Airways, Rainbow Tourism Group, United Touring Company, Meikles Africa, Barclays Bank, Abercrombie & Kent, Europcar Interrent and Cresta Hospitality.
Mr Fundira cited the usual chaotic manner in which immigration formalities were handled at Beitbridge as falling short of expectations.
He said there was a world of difference in the quality of customer service between hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe, the closest neighbour with the capacity to handle spillover tourists from the soccer showcase.
It was against this background that Mr Fundira said Government was overly excited about private sector efforts to assist in ensuring Zimbabwe was best prepared for the global soccer show.
ZCT had been worried that lack of financial resources to fund tourism promotion initiatives would make it difficult for the country to draw the full benefits of South Africa’s hosting of the World Cup.
This was after ZTA received a US$400 000 allocation from the National Budget, which the private sector considered negligible, to push the national tourism agenda.
ZTA had projected that the country could rake in more than US$500 million if adequate preparations were made to promote the local tourism industry ahead of the football extravaganza.
However, this appeared a difficult feat to achieve in the face of the financial resources available to fund preparatory requirements.
Source: All Africa.com (http://allafrica.com/stories/201001070717.html)
Holidays bring business boom for hotels
MOST hotels and tourist resorts in the country were filled up during the past Christmas and New Year holidays with some achieving 100 percent in bookings.
The latest statistics imply that the formation of the inclusive Government has inspired the return of confidence in key source markets and mostly the domestic market.
Figures released by Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) indicated that bookings in the prime resort area of Victoria Falls were between 80 and 90 percent.
Apart from Victoria Falls, the survey also mentioned Nyanga, whose bookings were also looking good ranging from 60 to 70 percent, while Matopos and Masvingo were around 65 percent.
City hotels, however, recorded low occupancies of about 30 to 40 percent as most people were moving from the hustle and bustle of the city to holiday resorts.
The high turnout of bookings is, however, attributed to promotions that are being run by most hoteliers in a bid to encourage domestic tourism to make up for the gap left by international tourists.
The full year to December 2008 had seen the tourism industry suffering a 22 percent decline in arrivals; from 2,5 million in 2007 to 1,9 million.
Accommodation utilisation is, however, expected to rise, following the stabilisation of the economy and the demand resulting from the expected increases in tourist arrivals. Business delegations hunting investment opportunities in Zimbabwe, aid agencies and diplomats have been flying into the country at increased frequency since the signing of the Global Political Agreement, signifying the resurgence of hope.
“It is a clear sign that there is a recovery from last year,” Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chairman Mr Shingi Munyeza said, referring to the improved performance. “But next year will give a better signal. If you look at the statistics you will see that most of the tourists were business travellers, it’s tricky to compare because last year was an election year.”
Zimbabwe Council for Tourism (ZCT) president Mr Emmanuel Fundira attributed the positive growth to the introduction of multiple currencies, which has stimulated domestic tourism this year as it improved disposable incomes.
“The dollarised economy has brought stability to the sector, which now allows locals to travel to resort towns around the country.
“There is now flexibility on the spending power of the people,” he said.
He added that most hotels and lodges outside the capital were fully booked for the festive season, as many people wanted to spend the holidays away from where they lived.
“Bookings were made as early as November,” he said.
According to ZCT, domestic tourism is now operating at above 60 percent. Mr Fundira said increased domestic tourism would improve revenue collection for the sector.
Mr Fundira, however, noted that there has been a flip side to the promotions as some tourists have taken the promotional prices — which are lower than the normal prices — to mean that local hotels were now engaging in a two-tier pricing system.
He said contrary to this assumption, local hotels have rather adopted what is known internationally as the variable pricing system where prices vary depending on the time one books into a hotel.
Source: Sunday Mail Zimbabwe (http://www1.sundaymail.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=4392&cat=19)
Victoria Falls: One of the world’s true wonders
The Scottish explorer, David Livingstone, is believed to have been the first white man to view this magnificent curtain of falling water and he named it in honor of Queen Victoria, the British monarch reigning at the time.
Victoria Falls
Photo: Irving Spitz
The falls are formed as the Zambezi River plummets in a vertical drop into a chasm carved by its waters in the basalt plateau.
The total width of the Victoria Falls is more than one and a half kilometers and the height is over 100 meters. It is twice as high and almost twice as wide as North America’s Niagara Falls. It is no surprise that Victoria Falls makes the list of one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
To witness the sight of millions of gallons of turbulent water cascading over a sheer precipice into a narrow gorge is an unforgettable experience. Between February and May, whenthe falls are at their most spectacular, more than 500,000 cubic meters of water a minute flow over the edge.
The spray from the falls typically rises to a height of over 400 meters and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 50 km. away. For this reason, the local inhabitants refer tothe falls as ” Mosi-oa-Tunya,” or “the smoke that thunders.”
During the day, at a close vantage point, the spray creates a brilliant rainbow effect. At sunrise when viewed from a small distance away, the spray produces dazzling color effects. During the flood season it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face. At this time, the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist.
The Zambezi River forms the boundary between Zimbabwe in the south and Zambia in the north. The falls can be seen from both countries, but it is generally acknowledged that the view is more impressive from the Zimbabwean side. A trip down the river reveals abundant wild life including hippos and crocodiles.
European settlement of the Victoria Falls area started around 1900. The driving force was Cecil John Rhodes. Born in England in 1853, he migrated to southern Africa at an early age. He became a diamond prospector, formed the De Beers Mining Company and ultimately became prime minister of the Cape Colony.
His dream was a railway extending through the African continent from the Cape to Cairo. The railway eventually reached the Zambezi River in 1904. Rhodes planned the bridge across the river and insisted it be built where the spray fromthe falls would fall on passing trains. The bridge was constructed in England and the different parts were sent by ship and rail and erected piecemeal from both sides of the river. Today this bridge still carries traffic across the river and is a site for bungee jumping into the narrow gorge.
The legendary and gracious colonial-style Victoria Falls Hotel is situated in a unique setting overlooking the Victoria Falls. From the immaculate and lush tropical gardens, and terraces of the hotel, there is a sweeping vista of the bridge and the spray from the falls.
Construction began in 1904 and it was originally envisioned as a temporary wooden structure with a corrugated iron roof to house workers building the bridge. With the increase in tourists, it was decided to erect a permanent building. Today, the hotel retains its gracious old world charm and ambience.
This is evident in all public areas, including lounges, bars, dining room and library. All furnishings are in harmony of the time of the original building. The different sections ofthe hotel are connected by wide corridors with lofty ceilings.
Each corridor houses a unique photographic collection displaying the illustrious history of the hotel and documenting the famous personages who stayed there. One of the great highlights was the visit of the British royal family in 1947.
From the gardens of the hotel, a short walk takes you to the falls. Because of the wildlife, visitors are accompanied by a ranger. On the way back, I was accosted by three elephants. I whipped out my camera and started to photograph. A bellow and stamping of feet from one of these pachyderms sent me sprinting away with great alacrity.
The name Zimbabwe is derived from the local language and means “great houses of stone.”
This stone type of building was characteristic of an independent African state which reached its zenith between the 13th and 14th centuries. Originally this country was part of the British Empire and was known as Southern Rhodesia (in honor of Cecil Rhodes). It became a self-governing British colony in 1923 and achieved independence after a long war and much bloodshed in 1980. Since independence it has been governed by Robert Mugabe.
Tragically for the inhabitants, there is gross corruption, economic mismanagement and human rights abuse. Despite having large mineral reserves including diamonds and platinum, Zimbabwe has one of the lowest life expectancy rates and highest rates of inflation in the world. Up till recently, banknotes of up to $100 trillion were in circulation. In view of this, the recently elected prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has allowed transactions to be conducted with US dollars or South African rand.
The visitor is thus faced with a surreal situation. Inside the confines of the Victoria Falls Hotel, there is opulence and wealth, outside abject poverty. The few shops have empty shelves and lack all but minimum basic provisions. The unfortunate locals beg for toiletries from the bathrooms ofthe hotel , any old used clothing, indeed anything. Despite their miserable situation, the people are friendly, peaceful and appear resigned to their dismal fate. The sad look on their faces still haunts me today.
The writer, emeritus professor of medicine, is an avid traveler and photographer. He frequently writes, reviews and lectures on medical topics, music, art, history and travel. Additional pictures from this as well as other trips can be seen on http://www.pbase.com/irvspitz
Source: Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1261364509465&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull)
Zambia-Zimbabwe border post to save $486m a year
CHIRUNDU (Reuters) – Zambia and Zimbabwe’s new one-stop border post will help to facilitate trade between the two countries and save about $486 million a year in logistical costs, a senior official at the agency in charge of the project said.
Trucks using the Chirundu post, about 136 km south of Lusaka, will take two hours to clear the post instead of the two to five days it used to take, Juma Mwapachu, secretary general of the Eastern African Commission, said late on Saturday, when the border post was opened.
The East African Commission, a part of the intergovernmental East African Community, managed the project to build the border crossing.
“The one-stop border post will lead to logistical efficiency and about $486 million will be saved annually in costs that would have been incurred due to prolonged delays at the border,” Mwapachu said.
“The transit time will become more predictable and this will enhance the trade competitiveness for the two countries.”
A World Bank study showed that the major contributor to the high cost of transport was lack of facilitation, such as the improvement of border clearance procedures, Mwapachu said.
Zambian President Rupiah Banda, who was at the opening ceremony for the crossing said the one-stop border post would promote the smooth and efficient flow of goods, resulting in increased inter-regional trade.
“If we facilitate trade and reduce the cost of doing business as well as improve the flow of foreign direct investment, the result will be increased growth and prosperity in our region,” Banda said.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe told the launch ceremony that border post was a practical demonstration of regional integration and asked for investment in the congested border crossing between South and Zimbabwe.
“We are appealing for development and cooperation partners to join us in the development of Beitbridge into a one-stop border post to complement the efficiencies at Chirundu,” Mugabe said.
A report by the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa in November showed service costs were high in sub-Saharan Africa due to poor roads, water and power networks and the region needed to double its infrastructure spending to $93 billion a year to improve it.
Source: Reuters Africa (http://af.reuters.com/article/investingNews/idAFJOE5B505220091206)
Can Zimbabwe re-attract tourists?
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe has recently been flooded with glowing reports in the state media of a dramatic recovery in tourism. But those bulletins may be premature.
Tourist numbers have risen from 100,000 last year to 362,000 this year, according to industry reports, and many hotels have reported an increase in occupancy rates. But the hotel numbers do not take account of whole floors of leading hotels being blocked off.
Hotel swimming pools, once surrounded by flight crews seeking a tan in Zimbabwe’s perennial sunshine, are deserted. And while the number of visitors has undoubtedly increased, many are Chinese tourists who do not spend money or visitors from other African states who stay with relatives.
There has been a concerted campaign to bring in travelers from China where Air Zimbabwe now operates routes. But Chinese tourists move around in supervised gangs — called duck tours — and keep their hands in their pockets when visiting curio stalls.
“It’s a disaster,” said travel writer Dusty Miller of Zimbabwe’s “Look East” policy. “They are not big spenders and cannot substitute for tourists from our traditional markets in Europe and North America.”
In particular Miller laments the loss of the “golden triangle” — the London/Mauritius/ Australia route which delivered thousands of visitors including carefree backpackers into the Zimbabwean market.
Zimbabwe’s world-class facilities and attractions, particularly its game parks and Victoria Falls, saw a dramatic growth of the tourism industry in the 1980s and 90s when new players entered the scene. By 1999 Zimbabwe was expecting to attract 1 million tourists. But once Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis hit, and the country was viewed as volatile, tourist numbers plummeted.
President Robert Mugabe’s penchant for making angry anti-Western rhetoric is a major obstacle to a recovery in tourism. While Western countries have lifted their travel warnings on Zimbabwe, the impression of a nation ruled by a hostile dictator has not changed. An Economic Empowerment Act which requires investors to surrender a 51 percent holding to locals in any project is another deterrent.
The power-sharing government between Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is a distinctly uneasy alliance. While the Tsvangirai side is working to put Zimbabwe on a better footing, for tourism and everything else, the Mugabe half of the government carries on as it has for nearly 30 years. These mixed signals do not reassure potential tourists.
Tourism may be finding its feet after 10 years of recession and turmoil but it is not all plain sailing. The sector is governed by a state body, the Zimbabwe Tourism Association (ZTA), which draws its funding from levies on the private-sector. The ZTA puts out a stream of sunshine stories about the need to “change perceptions” of Zimbabwe which ignore developments on the ground such as the continuing violent farm seizures.
There is, however, one notable success story to emerge from the tourism sector. It comes from the African Sun group which is headed by the flamboyant Shingi Munyeza, a self-made businessman.
His group has expanded into West Africa and oil-rich Equatorial Guinea where its hotel rooms are much in demand. He believes it is necessary to take risks or be left behind.
“The opportunities for business in Zimbabwe are immense,” Munyeza told the AP recently. “The question is: Do you get in now or later? Later is very costly. Early is very risky.”
But as every operator in the private sector will testify, Zimbabwe’s future success lies in political stability. Mugabe is currently obstructing economic recovery by reckless policy measures — such as threatening to reintroduce the discredited Zimbabwe dollar before Christmas — while the world watches in trepidation. The U.S. dollar has over the past year reduced Zimbabwe’s million percent inflation to manageable levels and has provided a steady anchor to a troubled economy.
British ambassador Mark Canning noted last week that while there had been some improvement on the economic front, investors were still concerned with the ongoing farm seizures, lack of security of tenure, and a sound legal framework to protect investments.
Britain is Zimbabwe’s biggest investor.
“Once the provisions of the global political agreement (between Zanu-PF and the MDC) are fulfilled,” Canning said, “I am certain significant investment will be made in Zimbabwe and British companies are ready to move in, in a big way. But for now everything is being watched closely.”
A further problem on the country’s path to recovery of its tourism is the decimation of its wildlife. In particular the numbers of rare rhinoceros have dropped precipitously. Rhinos were moved to the southern parts of the country 10 years ago to remove them from the reach of Zambian poachers. They have now come under siege, not from hungry poachers, but from new land occupiers and army officers in the southern conservancies.
More problems come from the hemorrhaging state companies like Air Zimbabwe and National Railways which Mugabe won’t let go of for what he claims are “strategic” reasons. He means sheltered employment for his followers. But those key companies operate very inefficiently and run up huge state debts.
Zimbabwe’s most marketable products — its reliably sunny weather and its friendly, well-educated people — may compensate for some of these shortcomings and encourage first-time, but more political and economic stability are needed to get the country’s tourism back to healthy levels.
Source: Global Post (http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/zimbabwe/091124/zimbabwe-tourism)
Zimbabwe set for Commonwealth return by 2011
Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s president, pulled his country out of the organisation in 2003 and has been a fierce critic of Britain ever since.
However, the new political coalition in Zimbabwe has helped pave the way for a possible early return.
Leaders of Commonwealth countries, including Gordon Brown, will gather for their biennial meeting in Trinidad on Friday. Discussions will take place that are expected to set a timetable for Zimbabwe to be re-admitted at the next summit in two years time.
The re-admission will be linked to a series of reforms being implemented by Harare.
Officials are looking closely at how the coalition parties, which include Mr Mugabe’s Zanu PF and the Movement for Democratic Change, have gone about putting in place the reforms that include action on human rights, judicial reform and a constitutional overhaul.
Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the MDC, agreed to join a unity government with Mr Mugabe in January after months of political stalemate. Under the deal Mr Tsvangirai became prime minister while Mr Mugabe chaired cabinet meetings.
The South African Development Community want to see progress on new reforms by 6 December.
Britain led an attempt in 2002 to get Zimbabwe suspended from the Commonwealth after the full extent of Mr Mugabe’s brutal campaign against his political opponents became clear – more than 100 were killed.
However, the diplomatic moves initially failed as foreign ministers from eight Commonwealth member states refused and instead chose to push for more sanctions and demands for “full and fair elections.”
When those elections were roundly agreed not to have been fair, with violence and intimidation rife, Zimbabwe was suspended, initially for one year.
But pre-empting an extension of the suspension Mr Mugabe pulled Zimbabwe out of the Commonwealth in 2003.
British officials ahead of Friday’s meeting said yesterday that they thought there was some progress on reforms in Harare, but they needed to be more solid before firm commitments of a return to the Commonwealth can be countenanced.
The Queen will open Friday’s meeting in Trinidad and Zimbabwe will be discussed a day later. The timing has extra symbolism as it is 30 years since a similar meeting in Lusaka opened the way for Rhodesia to become independent. A year later Zimbabwe was born.
The two-year power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe means there should be an election by February 2011 and a new constitution. So a Commonwealth return is possible after that.
However, with the constitutional talks deadlocked there is some uncertainty about the scale of progress that might be achieved by 2011.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President, will address the Commonwealth gathering, becoming the first French leader to do so. He will take part in talks with the Prime Minister and other leaders on climate change.
Source: Daily Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6646415/Zimbabwe-set-for-Commonwealth-return-by-2011.html)
National Railways of Zimbabwe plan World Cup trains
The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), in partnership with a local hospitality concern, plans to introduce a safari train between Harare and Johannesburg during the month-long 2010 Soccer World Cup events.
Plans are at an advanced stage with trial runs between Harare and Johannesburg expected in December. To be known as Rail Leisure Premier Classe, service is to equal that of a three-star hotel. NRZ public relations manager Fanuel Masikati told The Sunday Mail Business “We are introducing a train from Harare to Johannesburg in conjunction with a player in the hospitality industry. We are presently refurbishing and upgrading our coaches for this programme. We have the capacity and the expertise in this business and we will be on track to unveil Rail Leisure, come the 2010 World Cup.
“We are not new in this business. We presently have a safari train locally but the Harare-Johannesburg route will cater for visitors to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. We have highly trained staff that will be manning the trains. They have been extensively trained by the Bulawayo School of Hospitality.”
According to Masikati, steam locomotives are to be re-introduced early next year as these are an attraction for tourists. “Steam trains are an instant hit with most foreign tourists since Zimbabwe is probably the only country in the world that still has them.”
NRZ says it is rehabilitating rail infrastructure to ensure safe travel.
Source: Railways Africa
Tourists returning to Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwe Council of Tourism says the number of tourists has more than tripled, but the sector’s full recovery will be linked to the success of the unity government.
Council president Emmanuel Fundira says 362 000 people had visited Zimbabwe by August compared to 100,000 in 2008.
The sector got a boost when several Western countries lifted travel warnings after the formation of the unity government.
Tourism revenues were an estimated $250 million a decade ago but dropped to $40 million in 2005. The revenue has however risen to $100 million since the formation of the coalition government.
Tourism has been touted as one of the first sectors poised to recover as international arrivals increase. It is however in need of recapitalization, with investment opportunities existing in the construction of hotels and lodges, and in operating tourist facilities.
The government has put in place a generous tax regime for tourism investors, especially those operating in areas designated as Tourism Development Zones.
Time to invest in Zimbabwe tourism
THE Minister of Tourism and Hospitality urged Zimbabweans to invest in the tourism sector and reassured them that the government is doing its best to ensure that the right conditions exist in the country to aid such investment.
Speaking on Friday to Zimbabwean reporters and businessmen at the Zimbabwean Embassy in London after the World Travel Market in London, Mzembi said the country was endowed with many natural resources that made it a great tourism catchment area.
He said Zimbabwe had one of the Seven Wonders of the World and hence should be able to attract a significant number of tourists in the country.
“We are blessed to have the Victoria Falls – one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Many tourists would love to see the falls. Let us all take advantage of that and showcase Zimbabwe,” said the minister.
“This is an area that urgently needs revamping and has the potential to earn the country the much needed foreigh currency.”
Mzembi also urged Zimbabweans living abroad to consider Zimbabwe as a destination of choice for their holidays. This will be an “indirect way of helping your country develop,” he added.
“You can rest assured that your minister is taking his job seriously and soon you should be able to see the fruits of our hard work.”
He added that investors in the tourism sector should take advantage of Statutory Instruments 46 and 50 which give businesses duty free imports and minimal licensing within the tourism sector.
He said investors were given 0-5 year tax breaks and lower tax breaks on 5-15 year periods.
The minister added that Zimbabwe’s participation at the recently held WTM in London is set to yield results for the tourism industry following rekindled interest registered in this country as a tourist destination.
“The fact that despite the global recession that has led to a decline in tourist arrivals worldwide only Africa has been able to register a positive growth in the first nine months of this year is positive news for this country,” said Mzembi.
He also said he would discuss with Cabinet the issue of passport renewals for Zimbabweans based abroad. He said Cabinet was currently discussion the best way to ensure that embassies can renew expired passports for Zimbabweans living abroad without them waiting for over six months as has been the case.
The minister said the inclusive Government of Zimbabwe “was working very well”.
The minister met with a select group of Zimbabwean businesses including airline, media, hospitality and other executives.
Source: Zimbabwe Guardian
Zimbabwe Travel 