Record increase in tourists — Survey

RHODESIA’S tourism industry, which is tipped for a place as one of the country’s biggest foreign currency earners, broke all records last year, according to a survey of leading tour operators.

Forecasts that 1968 would be a boom year appear to have been proved correct.

The fastest-growing tourist centre is the Victoria Falls area, followed by Kariba, Zimbabwe ruins, and the Eastern Districts, said Mr Drek Ebben, general manager of the biggest tour operators in the country.

He said his firm estimated that tourist traffic would increase by about 20 percent in 1968.

“In fact, our own traffic, excluding airline all-in tourists, increased by 27 percent,” he said

“Last year was the best in the history of our company, which moved into Rhodesia in the early 1960s. The results exceeded our hopes.”

Mr Franz Forrester, the managing director of a Salisbury-based tour operator, said his firm was handling about 300 tourists a month in Salisbury a year ago.

“Now we are handling nearly 600 a month.”

Last year the company was given temporary permits by Road Service Board to operate tours in the Falls and Wankie area for the first time.

“We were handling 40 to 45 passengers a month, but we have just been granted another three permits for this area, and in January we had 185 bookings. The total for February is expected to be 220.”

Mr Forrester said his company was hoping to get permission from the Government to open an office in the Wankie National Park.

“All we are waiting for now to really expand in Western Rhodesia are three new vehicles, which should be here in time for the tourist season in March or April.

“There is tremendous scope to expand the tourist industry in Rhodesia. Our figures show there is definite demand, particularly in the Falls, and Wankie area.”

Mr Ebben said that in the first 11 months of last year, his company had carried 43 000 tourists, a “fairly substantial increase” over the previous year.

He said his company still had spare capacity in Rhodesia to meet the increasing demand.

“The tourist industry makes a bigger contribution than most to the foreign currency earnings of the country. Less than 10 percent of our earnings are in local currency.”

Mr Ebben said Rhodesia had great potential for tourists. Travel agents for overseas are for the first time this year beginning to sell package tours for Southern Africa only.

“This means visitors will have more time to spend in South Africa, Rhodesia and, Mozambique and it will be of great benefit to this country.”

His country is planning a series of tours of Tribal Trust Lands, native purchase areas and European farming areas.

“The next few years could see tremendous expansion of the tourist industry. But Rhodesia must be ready for the expansion,” he said.

Lessons for today

◆ Zimbabwe remains a major tourist attraction largely due to the Victoria Falls, one of the World’s seven natural wonders.

◆ The country’s tourism sector is on the rebound following the relaxation of travel restrictions prompted by Covid-19 with receipts for the nine months to September 2022 increasing by 137,7 percent to US$580 million from US$244 million for the previous year.

◆ The country has a lot of tourist attractions other than Victoria Falls and the Great Zimbabwe ruins. There has been a deliberate drive to promote these and domestic tourism so that Zimbabweans also have an appreciation of what is on offer in their country.