Immigration Dept commends building of tourist holding shed

THE Immigration Department has commended players in the tourism industry in Victoria Falls for building a holding shed for tourists at Kazungula Border post.

The holding shed with a capacity to accommodate 100 people served from five counters, was completed last year at a cost of more than $12 000 mobilised by the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Victoria Falls chapter.

The idea of a shed came after realisation that hundreds of travellers were spending hours in the direct sun waiting to be attended to at the border where there were only two counters.

Some would faint because of excessive direct heat waiting to be served by immigration and revenue officers.

Kazungula border is one of the busiest ports of entry in the country with scores of self-drives touring Victoria Falls, Chobe in Botswana and en-route to Namibia and South Africa.

Scores of Zimbabweans and truck drivers also use the border.

The shed is furnished with resting seats and a wider roofing to allow a bigger group.

Business Chronicle visited the border post on Saturday and noticed that travellers were being attended to in a short space of time.

The main building is now used for other services offered by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and clearing vehicles leaving the shed to handle travellers.

Regional Immigration officer Mr Vincent Mukombero said the border handles between 400 and 700 people a day depending on seasons.

“The previous office used to have two counters only and the container added five more. This means we could have more officers working at the border post hence improving on efficiency because there are now more clearing points,” he said.

Mr Mukombero said presently between 300 and 400 visitors coming into Zimbabwe are attended to daily while the number rises to around 700 during peak periods. He said the shed improved working conditions at the border post.

Tour operators said ensuring that visitors were not exhausted on entering the country enhances their chances of visiting many resort areas and book for activities.

Over the years, the industry, led by HAZ, has given mineral water to tourists at ports of entry such as the Victoria Falls International Airport, Victoria Falls and Kazungula Border Posts at its own expense as a way of welcoming them into the country.

The holding shed is one of developments that facilitate good hospitality especially for one-day trippers between Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia under the Kavango-Zambezi (Kaza) Uni- Visa, which facilitates free movement between the three countries.

Government is also working on expanding the border into a One-Stop facility with state-of-the art infrastructure in its programme of upgrading ports of entry. — @ncubeleon.