Zimbabwe is back on world tourism stage

THE local tourism industry, which slumped at the turn of the millennium because of negative sentiment in source markets in the West that accompanied the imposition of sanctions on our country, has bounced back. When the Government launched the land reform and redistribution programme in 2000, Europe and the US led a campaign to support the white former farmers in opposing the initiative. The local private media and foreign news outlets generated very negative stories around the land reforms and what they believed to be human rights abuses in the country. They openly discouraged people in the West from visiting Zimbabwe while laws were put in place to impose sanctions on the country and to severely punish companies caught doing business with any Zimbabwean entity. These, among other factors, precipitated a negative image of our country in the minds of people in the source markets. They removed our country from the list of places to visit. Travel agents in those areas stopped marketing this destination as well. It was obvious that the local tourism sector would suffer amid such hostility in the biggest source of tourists for our country. Their revenues declined as did the standards. A generally bad economic climate did not help matters.

But the sentiment has been improving over the past six years or so, triggering an upsurge in arrivals. Probably the joint hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation by our country and Zambia in August 2013 was the real turning point. Top global tourism and hospitality

executives would not have spent days in a market that is too dangerous to visit; a market that had nothing to offer. Thus their presence in Victoria Falls during the conference was a big statement to foreign tourists; it was a strong endorsement of Zimbabwe as a destination worth their time, and money. Zimbabwe has not looked back since then. Arrivals are trending up with about 2,4 million visiting in 2017 and 2,6 million last year. The number is set to rise higher this year to three million, generating about US$1 billion.

In addition to the steady growth in the number of arrivals, the country has been receiving accolades for being among the world’s top must-visit places. Zimbabwe recently won an award for the most sustainable tourist destination at the International Tourism Bourse in Berlin, Germany last month and was also voted as the world’s third must-visit destination after Sri Lanka and Germany. National Geographic has also acknowledged the country as one of the prime tourist destinations in the world.

Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Prisca Mupfumira won the Tourism Minister of the Year (Africa) award at the Berlin event.

As reported in these pages yesterday, international holiday rental search engine, HomeToGo, has just named Zimbabwe sixth in the top 10 trending destinations for United Kingdombased tourists.

“Interest in traditional European summer holiday destinations like Italy and Spain is declining. Our data shows that travellers are instead seeking out more distant and unusual destinations,” said HomeToGo.

“Zimbabwe has so much to offer. The growing numbers of British tourists heading there this summer will find a warm, welcoming culture, spectacular landscapes and wildlife, and great ecotourism opportunities.

“Go hiking in the beautiful Eastern Highlands, take a sustainable safari in one of the huge national parks, or explore the ruins of the medieval Kingdom of Zimbabwe, one of the biggest civilisations in precolonial Africa.”

This ranking is yet another of the many welcome honours that the country has received in recent years. Such an honour from a top tourism authority — not just top but British as well — was unimaginable some 10 years ago given the relations between our country and the United Kingdom at that time. This turnaround is remarkable.

As the honours continue flowing from the West, East and all over the world, tourists must keep flocking in as well. This trend will grow, we are confident, as President Mnangagwa’s Government is resetting the country’s relations with the world. Also, all factors influencing the growth of tourism are in place — a stable political climate, a stabilising economy, improved governance and intensifying destination marketing efforts.

The President is doing well as the country’s most high profile tourism ambassador. Minister Mupfumira is working hard to market the destination too, with the great support from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and the businesses in the tourism and hospitality industry.

The tourism product itself is irresistible. There is only one Victoria Falls, the world’s most spectacular water fall; and that Victoria Falls faces Zimbabwean territory. The Great Zimbabwe Monument is one of the oldest, unique stone wall structures on the globe. The Eastern Highlands, with their scenic views and temperate climate, are an outstanding place to visit. There are not many countries with a high concentration of species of game such as we have at Hwange and Gonarezhou national parks. Lake Kariba is among the world’s biggest manmade dams. It is a must-visit for every water sporting, fishing enthusiast or pleasure seeker. BULAWAYO, Tuesday, April 5, 1994 — The Matabeleland Chamber of Industries has urged the Bulawayo City Council to be more committed to recycling water in the view of the low volume in the city’s supply dams.

In a letter to the Future Water Supplies and Water Action Committee, the chamber said: “We respectfully urge that council considers advising residents to be more careful in the consumption of water and that progress on further recycling of used water be made by the city council”.

The chamber noted at the volume of 111,8 million cubic metres as of February, the water in storage could hardly last one-and-a-half years.

According to figures provided by the acting director of Engineering Services, Mr Peter Sibanda, and Bulawayo’s supply dams are 30,2 percent full.

Members of the committee suggested that it may be the time the council made appeals to residents, without necessarily alarming them, on the need to start conserving water. BULAWAYO, Friday, April 5, 1969 — Heavy rainstorms have cost florists, nurserymen and commercial gardeners thousands of pounds worth of Easter business, said Bulawayo florists yesterday.

This Easter there is no currency import allocation to enable florists to fly in emergency consignments of South African flowers to replace ruined Rhodesian blooms.

Spokesmen for each of each of Bulawayo’s three florist shops said they were forced to reject orders. When flowers ran out, they sold pot plants. But these, too, ran short before business closed yesterday for the long Easter break.

Mrs Val Wright said her staff of trained florists were making up baskets of fruit yesterday, instead of bouquets of flowers, and sending them out to fill customers’ orders.

“We have been turning down orders for days”, she said. “Our girls have finished all the work on hand by midday these days. The irony of it is that we have a full staff for the first time for many years. Our problem is not only to satisfy our customers, but how to keep our staff employed”.

Last year the government allowed florists a small allocation to make good the business lost in the severe June frosts. Even this help is missing this year, the florists said.

Mrs Ethel Frankel said not only had flowers been hard to get this Easter, but “we are having to pay double what we normally pay to get them at all”. Her husband, Mr Maurice B Frankel said the rain had ruined about 600 boxes of seedlings in his nursery.

Mrs Bob Niezen said that in an endeavour to meet as many orders as possible her staff had relied on the ornamental quality of their vases.