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Victoria Falls tourism on the rebound after easing of restrictions

Published

3 years ago

October 18, 2022

BY AWAKHIWE KHUMALO

Victoria Falls’ leisure and accommodation facilities recorded 60 percent and above occupancies rates after Zimbabwe started easing of Covid-19 lockdowns last year, it has been revealed.

The resort city’s tourism sector took a battering at the height of the lockdowns, but Employers Association for Tours and Safari Operators president Clement Mukwasi told VicFallsLive that international and local source markets were showing a growing appetite for the city’s tourism offerings.

“After the setbacks suffered under the Covid-19 pandemic domestic tourists have started flocking into the destination,” Mukwasi said

“We also have seen that international tourists have started coming to Zimbabwe, particularly Victoria Falls, and most of them are coming from Europe, United State of America, Australia, and United Kingdom and that is boosting the tourism sector.

“We are moving in the right direction although we are still on the road to recovery although our occupancies at the time are offering above 60 percent of the industry in terms of accommodation occupancies and activity consumption.”

He said companies were looking at clawing back the capital that was lost over the two years during the Covid-19 era.

“We hope that this course is going to continue until we recover the lost revenue, capital and lost time, but the outlook is quite good,” Mukwasi added.

“We think that if the bookings that are there continue to go by, we are likely going to record 100 percent occupancies during the festive season”

Asian tourists, however, have not started visiting the destination in numbers since the onset of the pandemic, he said.

“We are also hoping that the Chinese and Japanese markets open up so that we get a complete number of arrivals from all countries,” Mukwasi said.

“We also still have concerns about people from Ukraine and Russia because of the post Covid-19 military conflict that is happening there or whatever is happening there, which has made it hard for people from those areas to travel to Victoria Falls.”

He said apart from pristine leisure, conferencing had also given the destination a lift.

“The government is also flexing its muscles and helping the tourism sector in ways that it can and we are hoping that it will continue with its policy of us having zero percent on capital goods we import as an industry and the value added tax on the activities we offer as that has been a serious enabler,” Mukwasi said.

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Zimparks launches elephant culling program

Published

4 weeks ago

June 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

In a bid to address the growing elephant population in Save Valley Conservancy, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has issued permits for a controlled elephant management exercise.

The exercise, slated to commence shortly, aims to cull an initial 50 elephants from the conservancy, which is currently home to 2,550 elephants – more than three times the ecological carrying capacity of 800 elephants.

According to ZimParks, the conservancy has been struggling to cope with the swelling elephant population, which has put a strain on the wildlife habitat and resources. Over the past five years, the conservancy has translocated 200 elephants to other areas, including Hurungwe and Sapi, in an effort to manage the population.

Zimparks says the controlled culling exercise is expected to provide relief to the conservancy’s ecosystem, while also benefiting local communities.

Elephant meat from the exercise will be distributed to local communities while the ivory will be kept by the State.

In a statement, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo emphasized the authority’s commitment to responsible and sustainable wildlife management.

“We remain committed to ensuring that our wildlife resources are managed in a responsible and sustainable manner, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

In the community

Hwange police seek public’s help in locating missing teen

Published

2 months ago

May 15, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Hwange police are urgently seeking the public’s assistance in locating 16-year-old Latoya Lisa Munkuli, who went missing on May 7, this month.

Latoya, a dark-complexioned female juvenile, was last seen leaving her residence in Hwange around 4 pm.

She was wearing a distinctive outfit consisting of green trousers and a white T-shirt, and carried a black satchel. She stands approximately 1.6 meters tall.

Inspector Glory Banda of the Hwange police is leading the investigation and urges anyone with information about Latoya’s whereabouts to come forward.

If you have any information about Latoya’s disappearance, please contact Inspector Banda on 0785961747 or 0771256607.

National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

Published

2 months ago

April 16, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY WANDILE TSHUMA

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.