The European Union is funding wildlife conservation efforts in Zimbabwe, such as anti-poaching in the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (LTCA) and other Transboundary Conservation Areas (TCA).
LTCA is a huge game reserve that covers parts of Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique, while TCA are borderless national parks.
EU head of delegation to Zimbabwe, Ambassador Timo Olkkonen, says the projects will enhance community-based cross-border co-operation on natural resources management, with particular attention to wildlife conservation in terms of anti-poaching, human-wildlife conflict and illegal wildlife trafficking mitigation.
“From our own experience on the ground, supported by a number of reputable studies and research, we can realistically say that communities are our first line of defence against poaching and land degradation,” says Olkkonen.
Zimbabwe’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Permanent Secretary, Munesu Munodawafa, says the EU’s initiative complements the existing efforts in community-led conservation and sustainable natural resources management in support of conservation, sustainable rural development and livelihood improvement.
– Tourism Update
Gonarezhou National Park reintroducing black rhinos
The Gonarezhou National Park (GNP) in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo Province will reintroduce a maximum of 30 black rhinos in 2020. The animals will be sourced from other national parks in Zimbabwe such as Malilangwe Trust, Bubye Valley Conservancy, and Save Conservancy.
The philosophy of the park’s tourism is to tread as softly on this landscape as possible, while fully immersing oneself in the experience of being in this vast wild space. Visitors are asked to respect the spirit of the Gonarezhou, and the main activities on offer in the park include game viewing from vehicles and limited walking.
GNP is managed by the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust (GCT), a new model for protected area management drawn up between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS).
GCT said security in GNP has attained such a level that a rhino reintroduction project has become feasible.
“Manpower levels are at an all-time high, with more than 90 patrols deployed in the park per month, all monitored in real-time through a park-wide digital radio network.
“Law enforcement monitoring is being done through data collection by ranger patrols which are inputted into the Park’s SMART database, which has been fully operational since 2014 and allows for a clear understanding of the trends in the nature and spatial distribution of threat and the effectiveness and coverage of ranger patrols.
Beitbridge-Victoria Falls highway upgrade a game changer
The upgrading of the Beitbridge-Victoria Falls highway in Zimbabwe is set to ease the movement of self-drive tourists between South Africa and Zimbabwe, and to other parts of Africa. The highway will be widened, with the construction of two lanes in each direction, making it a four-lane highway. Other improvements will include new road signs, visible road marking, re-tarring, and adding reflectors to the edges of the road.
South African firm, Khato Holdings sealed a deal with Zimbabwean authorities for the improvements to the Beitbridge-Victoria Falls highway at an estimated cost of US$2bn in a build, operate and transfer arrangement. Construction is expected to start during the first half of 2020.
Langton Masunda, a conservationist from Gwayi near Hwange National Park, says the upgraded highway will provide much-needed access to tourist sites such as Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls. “Congestion on the Beitbridge-Victoria Falls highway has been problematic, discouraging self-drive tourists. The improved highway will make it easy to drive on this road and certainly reduce accidents and congestion.”
Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe President, Innocent Manyera, says: “Roads are one of the prerequisites to access a destination, both by domestic and foreign travellers.” Travellers, he says, do not want to come across bad roads either on holiday or during a business trip. Travellers need roads that are convenient and accident-free.
Other tourist attraction sites along the Beitbridge-Victoria Falls highway include Matobo Hills and Khami Ruins.
– Byolife
Machaba Safaris acquires Ngoma Safari Lodge
Africa Albida Tourism CE, Ross Kennedy, and Machaba Safaris MD, Alistair Rankin, have announced that Ngoma Lodge, in Chobe, Botswana, has been purchased by Machaba Safaris, effective August 1.
Negotiations and discussions between the two parties, as well as the Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust (CECT) – the lodge’s community partners – and regulatory authorities in Botswana, are complete, and the handover process is well advanced.
Kennedy said: “We must recognise and thank CECT and their leadership, as well as the Botswana Tourism Organisation for their partnership, support, guidance and collaboration during the project build and operations. We are proud to have delivered more jobs, more revenue and more contribution to the community than we committed to at the outset.
“It has been a rewarding and exciting eight years since we opened in May 2011, with 2018 being the best year on record, and with 2019 already surpassing 2018 by June year to date, as is the trend until year-end,” said Kennedy.
Rankin said: “We have taken a long and deliberate time to find the perfect match for our brand in the Chobe region, and we feel Ngoma Safari Lodge not only fits but surpasses our expectations. We now have a circuit of top-class camps and lodges across the Okavango Delta and Chobe regions.
“AAT has created an incredible lodge and, with CECT, has raised the bar when it comes to lodges in Botswana and looks forward to the challenge of growing this iconic destination. We are excited to work with our new partners, CECT, and look forward to many years of delivering life-changing safaris.”
AAT operates a portfolio of properties in Victoria Falls: Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls Safari Club, Victoria Falls Safari Suites, Lokuthula Lodges – Victoria Falls, and The Boma – Dinner & Drum Show.
Machaba Safaris operates luxury tented safari camps and lodges in Botswana and Zimbabwe, focusing on offering safaris in wild iconic destinations while ensuring the conservation of these rare places and the upliftment of the communities that live alongside them. – Tourism Update
Major refurb for the iconic Boma Victoria Falls
AFRICA Albida Tourism (AAT) has completed refurbishment work at The Boma in Victoria Falls.
The development has seen the restaurant getting a fresh look and feel.
Its new décor now captures the style of the traditional Zimbabwean cooking hut.
Among other structural enhancements, the restaurant’s kitchen has also been refurbished.
According to AAT, the massive rehabilitation programme cost them at least US$250 000.
Completion of the exercise complements the hospitality group’s overall extension drive, which has seen them pouring over one million dollars into the expansion and renovation of their facilities.
AAT says the refurbishment was done to keep pace with the growing popularity of this great Victoria Falls dining and entertainment experience, which opened its doors 27 years ago.
ln, a statement, the hospitality group’s chief executive Mr Ross Kennedy said the refurbishment was made possible by a tourism boom during the past year.
“The levels of business experienced in 2018, coupled with the growth in the previous two years, led us in making the appropriate investment decisions to equip The Boma for the next five to 10 years. Keeping pace with the latest equipment and service delivery expectations, while maintaining the tastes, sights and sounds of The Boma were key factors in this major project,” said Mr Kennedy.
By sprucing up its image as well as adding new activities and accommodation options, AAT has immensely contributed towards boosting tourist arrivals in Victoria Falls.
The tourism group is currently experiencing one of its best business periods in close to a decade.
Its flagship property, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, is currently enjoying occupancies of over 80 percent.
“The main kitchen was rebuilt and new equipment was installed. Structural changes and enhancements were made to the serving area. We now have new granite surfaces and refrigeration of the salad and dessert bars is top-notch,” he said.
The interior designer, Ms Belinda Jones, said the decor’s concept came from the traditional cooking huts, and it was an amalgam of different Zimbabwean tribes.
“The Boma staff love it. It reminds them, especially the entrance, of their grandmothers’ huts. The traditional art form of decorating the walls and shelves with bright pigment goes back a while, but it is now being revived as a new art form,” she said.
AAT is also involved in a number of social responsibility activities such as anti-poaching and waste recycling. The tourism group has a huge portfolio which includes the Victoria Falls Safari Club, Victoria Falls Safari Suits, Lokuthula Lodges as well as Ngoma Safari Lodge in Chobe, Botswana. – The Sunday Mail
Bulawayo: The real tourism colossus
AS the City of Bulawayo officially celebrated its 125th anniversary this year, it is important to also look at the city in terms of tourism opportunities.
The city has a rich history and heritage that is exploitable for tourism. Historically, even before the 125 years being celebrated this year, the influx of “tourists” from very far places intending to see the King with their various requests and proposals spurred the growth a settlement around King Lobengula’s home in Emahlabathini.
This set the tone for the growth of a town which became the city we are so proud of today. Bulawayo was the political and economic powerhouse in the entire country from its inception up to around 1923.
Bulawayo, the City of Kings is famed to be the cleanest city in the country and that on its own places it as an attractive tourist destination. Clean and safe environments are critical pre-requisites for tourism.
The city is again a cultural hub with people from different ethnic backgrounds converging on what the early Rhodesians referred to as the “city of opportunity”.
It is also perceived as leading in terms of cultural expression through the arts. It is, therefore, quite easy for a visitor to Bulawayo to embrace and appreciate Zimbabwe’s cultural diversity and richness through the arts and also through interacting with the people.
Bulawayo is home to the biggest and best museum not only in the country but in the whole sub-Saharan Africa — The Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe which was the first in the country.
It is also the only city in the country with three museums, the other two being the Railway Museum and the Joshua Nkomo Museum.
These establishments are great spots for local, regional and international tourists. Bulawayo’s streets are a spectacle, being the widest in the country. Cecil John Rhodes himself commanded that the roads must be made so wide to allow wagons drawn by eight pairs of oxen to make a U-turn.
The architecture of Bulawayo is awe-inspiring and breathtaking, especially to those visiting and numerous of its buildings bear historical significance and are therefore protected under the National Museums and Monuments Act that covers all structures built-in or before 1910. The cooling towers at the Bulawayo Power Station, although built way after 1910, are an important feature in the city that is exploitable for tourism both on the domestic and international scale.
Since 2016, Bulawayo became the home of Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, an annual trade show for the tourism industry which brings tourism stakeholders from all over the globe.
It indeed re-gained its position as the centre where important deals, agreements and treaties are negotiated, concluded and signed, for that is the purpose of this trade show with regards to travel and tourism-related business.
Apart from the mentioned Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, the centre hosts other grand events such as The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and Mine Entra and also a plethora of other business and social events.
Bulawayo has also grown to be a formidable giant in terms of (Meetings Incentives Conventions and Events (MICE) tourism in Zimbabwe with the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre being the flagship facility.
For the night owl, Bulawayo’s nightlife is lively and vibrant with a wide array of nightclubs, and night events ranging from traditional dance and theatre and also contemporary performances all to the delight of both visitor and resident.
Bulawayo has a lot of interesting places for its visitor to enjoy. Being a city anchored on rich history and heritage, a number of historic sites and monuments decorate the cityscape of Bulawayo. Some of the prominent ones include the Maxim Hotel where Bulawayo was officially opened as a town by Dr Leander Starr Jameson on 1 June 1894. The building is now put to different users and it stands opposite the curio market, which is a tourist magnet just outside the City Hall grounds.
The City Hall and Wishing Well, which was dug to provide water to the settlers who were under siege in the then market square in the 1896 Ndebele uprising, northwards along Joshua Nkomo Street between Connaught and Masotsha Ndlovu avenues is a related feature in the form of the False Marula tree (Umganunkomo) popularly known as the Hanging Tree or Execution tree.
That tree was used for hanging Africans who were fingered as the ring leaders or those who were spying and looting for the uprising Africans.
Further down the same road, you come to the large expanse of land that is known in vernacular as the Inxwala Ground, where King Lobengula would meet with his people and ceremonies including Inxwala would take place. It also served as the parade arena for the King’s army.
Nearby Makokoba, the oldest township is the original home of the arts, entertainment and sport. Shebeen culture, Afro-jazz music, boxing and soccer in the city have their origins in Makokoba. Birthed in 1926, Highlanders Football Club, which is the oldest and one of the strongest outfits of Zimbabwean soccer has its umbilical cord in Makokoba.
International soccer giants including the Ndlovu trio of Madinda, Adam and Peter were ‘‘made’’ in Makokoba. The market (umkambo) in Makokoba also continues to attract tourists with a wide array of merchandise including African traditional medicines, which are popular with visitors.
Other interesting features in the city include the Joshua Nkomo statue standing at the heart of the city, where Cecil John Rhodes’ statue used to be, the Art Gallery, which is a historic building, the Exchange Building where Cecil Rhodes used to exchange gold and a host of other buildings with a great history.
The Cenotaph at the Main Post Office is a protected area dedicated to those from the country who lost their lives during the World Wars. It is a good place to relax and learn a bit about some history.
A fulfilling and informative tour of Bulawayo is best undertaken with a tour guide who is good with history. Outside the CBD, the Hillside Dams are a popular spot for recreation. The Central and Centenary Parks are also good rendezvous for relaxing with “bae” or with family and friends on a lazy day. Certainly one can not exhaust Bulawayo in one day or on one page. – The Sunday News
Uganda Airlines, Kenya Airways, Africa World Airlines and Air Zimbabwe register for Routes Africa 2019
Routes Africa is the longest standing and most established aviation forum bringing together leading airlines, airports and tourism authorities to discuss air services to, from and within Africa for over a decade.
Over 250 delegates from more than 40 countries attended Routes Africa 2018, with 95% of delegates saying that they would recommend the event to a colleague. Since announcing Kenya Airports Authority as the host of this year’s event, senior network planners from Air Zimbabwe, Kenya Airways, Africa World Airlines and Uganda Airlines have registered.
Taking place from 8-10 December in Mombasa, Kenya, Routes Africa 2019 will deliver an effective platform for key decision-makers to update their industry knowledge, discuss potential and existing air services, and network with industry influencers. A dynamic programme of high-level meetings, networking events, training and conference sessions, will continue to cement Routes Africa’s position as the leading route development for the region.
IATA has projected that the African continent will become one of the fastest-growing aviation regions within the next 20 years, with an average annual expansion rate of almost 5%. Routes Africa 2019 will see senior decision-makers from across the continent and beyond, meet, negotiate and build relationships that will go on to shape the region’s future air services. Register your place today and join the region’s key decision-makers in Mombasa this December for Routes Africa 2019. – Routes Online
Selinda Camp opens in Botswana
Great Plains Conservation has opened the Selinda Camp in northern Botswana.
The safari camp’s three one-bedroom tented units have canvas ceilings and thatched roofs. Each unit has a shaded open-sided lounge that overlooks a private plunge pool and the Selinda Spillway beyond.
The two-bedroom Selinda Suite comes with dedicated staff, wildlife guide and private vehicle.
Arrival at the camp is by game drive followed by a boat trip into camp (water levels depending). Activities include day and night game drives, walking, boating and catch-and-release fishing (subject to water levels) in the private, 130 000-hectare Selinda Reserve.
A new spa offers a variety of treatments, there is an interactive show kitchen, and each unit comes with the complimentary use of Canon professional camera equipment and Leica binoculars. – Tourism Update
South Africa eases travel for new visa-free countries
South Africa has scrapped visa requirements for various countries, including New Zealand.
In 2017, in what was considered a tit-for-tat move, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs applied visa restrictions to citizens of New Zealand. Operators at the time raised concerns that this would mean a significant drop in visitors.
These concerns were founded when Stats SA’s arrival numbers showed that between 2017 and 2018 visitor numbers from New Zealand dropped by 11%. The trend continued into 2019.
New Zealand, among other countries, has now been added to SA’s list of visa-free countries. The changes were announced by Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Home Affairs, at the Budget Vote 2019.
The other countries include:
- Qatar
- United Arab Emirates
- New Zealand
- Saudi Arabia
- Cuba
- Ghana
- Sao Tome and Principe
Econet marathon boosts Vic Falls tourism
PLAYERS in the tourism sector were the biggest beneficiaries of the Econet Victoria Falls Marathon, which took place here on Sunday.
Hotels and lodges were fully booked starting last week until Monday while eateries and activities also enjoyed more than 100 percent booking as sports tourists from 43 countries who had registered for the event sought services in the country’s prime resort town, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), reported.
This is besides scores of visitors who thronged the town not for the sporting event but for holiday. Tourism players, who are smiling all the way to the bank on the backdrop of the event, have said the marathon period is an early Christmas for the industry.
The event also significantly contributed to domestic tourism as 2 657 Zimbabweans from across the country took part in the event, with most of them bringing along their families and friends as cheerleaders.
The resort town has been a hive of activity and yesterday scores of people were still doing activities and sampling what the destination has to offer in terms of food, activities and art.
ZTA chief operations officer Mr Givemore Chidzidzi said the marathon event complements Government efforts to champion sports tourism.
“An event of this magnitude helps the country in various ways. It’s an attraction on its own, which shows the power of mega events on tourists. We are trying to promote sports tourism in Zimbabwe and this iconic event in Victoria Falls has grown from stage to stage and now we talk of 43 countries and more than 3 518 runners who brought their supporters and family here,” said Mr Chidzidzi.
He encouraged Zimbabweans from across all economic sectors to support such initiatives so as to play a part in the country’s engagement and re-engagement efforts.
“We all know of the spending that comes along with this and other benefits that accrue to the economy.
The whole town was busy in the last two days, full of visitors and I believe everyone had a share of the economic activity.
“Victoria Falls has been busy of late with occupancies above 100 percent.
The past two weeks also saw the town hosting the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce and the Africa Union-United Nations Wildlife Economy Summit, which brought 100 percent occupancy and business to the town,” added Mr Chidzidzi.
The marathon came at a time when prospects are looking brighter for the tourism sector, which enters its busiest season that ends with the festive holidays.
Tourism executive Mr Clement Mukwasi, who is president of the Employers Association for Tourism and Safari Operators, said the main beneficiaries were accommodation, food, cruise, game drives and helicopter flights.
“The marathon pulled a lot of domestic tourists into town and activities and accommodation benefited from this. As a destination this is a shot in the direction of Christmas as it came at a time when we are starting the busy season.
“The outlook period is quite promising basing on the bookings we got and are still getting,” he said.
Victoria Falls Mayor Councillor Somvelo Dlamini said those who visited the country for the marathon left as Zimbabwe’s ambassadors.
Econet are the sponsors of the marathon, which has grown into an iconic annual event.
Econet chief operations officer Mr Fayaz King said the company will continuously improve on the sponsorship and event to make it bigger and better each year.
“This year we managed to attract 3 518 athletes from 43 countries comprising new and old comers. We are glad that there is no repetition of countries as new countries are coming on board,” he said.
— The Chronicle