Victoria Falls – Victoria Falls is a waterfall in Zimbabwe. Reopening of Zimbabwe’s borders has piqued the interest of stakeholders in the tourism industry, who claim that the move would allow for unrestricted movement of visitors and an increase in operations.
The tourist industry has been the most adversely affected internationally as a result of the introduction of travel restrictions as a result of the global Covid-19 outbreak. As in many other areas of the globe, Zimbabwe’s border entry crossings remained closed to the general population, and exorbitant PCR test procedures and quarantine conditions prevented visitors from traveling to and from Zimbabwe.
The Cabinet, on the other hand, decided on Tuesday that all borders would be reopened after the country’s successful containment of the fourth wave of Covid-19, which was fueled by the Omicron variety. A post-Cabinet briefing by Monica Mutsvangwa revealed that the nation was in the middle of the fourth wave of Ebola when Cabinet adjourned on December 14, 2021, with an average of 4 014 cases per day reported at that time.
The number of new cases is currently fewer than 1000 per day on average.
The re-opening of national borders comes at a time when Zimbabwe, as a tourism destination, has been receiving a large number of requests from those who want to visit the country.
Flights to Zimbabwe, particularly Victoria Falls, are in high demand, with Lufthansa’s Eurowings Discover planned to make its debut trip to the country’s premier tourist destination at the end of next month, according to the airline.
Anald Musonza, the head of the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Matabeleland North chapter, said the business should now focus on increasing its marketing efforts. According to him, “the re-opening of borders throughout the nation is a significant boost to our tourist arrivals business since it supports free movement of persons who have been completely vaccinated.”
In the tourism business, we anticipate that the elimination of all major travel restrictions, like as quarantine and border closures, would allow us to begin aggressively promoting destination Zimbabwe and its numerous tourist attractions as soon as possible.
Mr Musonza said that the sector was looking forward to the elimination of the PCR test requirement since it was a significant financial burden on customers.
Travelers entering Zimbabwe are obliged to provide a valid negative Covid-19 PCR test result obtained within 48 hours of their arrival. A PCR test may range in price from US$30 to US$75 depending on the laboratory.
In Matabeleland North Province, the city of Victoria Falls serves as the country’s tourist hub. Tourism activities abound along the Zambezi River, and visitors may see a variety of wildlife at the Hwange, Chamabondo, and Zambezi national parks, which are all located in the province.
In Binga, an area with a distinct and rich culture, there are also sand beaches, fishing, and boating opportunities. The district itself is a tourist destination in and of itself.
Richard Moyo, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Matabeleland North, said the Cabinet decision will be beneficial to the tourist industry.
“We are overjoyed as a province because the tourist industry will profit as a result of this. We were reliant on local customers, but now that flights can land and other visitors can arrive by road across numerous borders, we can expand our clientele. As we go ahead, this is quite positive “he said.
Because of the remarkable strides made by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) through its Zimbabwe National Convention Bureau in promoting Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) by securing international membership with The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (GAEI), Zimbabwe will be a popular destination for both leisure and business travelers (UFI).
According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe has joined other leading African countries on this picturesque global stage, namely Rwanda and South Africa, by receiving UFI accreditation for exhibitions. The reopening of borders will encourage conference organizers to consider Zimbabwe as a destination for meetings.
