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Business Reporter
DOMESTIC tourists visiting the resort town of Victoria Falls have accused the tourism industry of overpricing its products.
In this light, the tourists have called on the sector to consider dual pricing in all areas to cater for locals and boost domestic tourism.
In separate interviews, domestic tourists said there should be prices for locals and foreigners in accommodation and activities in the sector.

“Coming for holidays is very expensive, it’s like locals are not supposed to enjoy the attractions around the country. Look at bungee jumping, it attracts a price of $120 per jump, rafting $115, helicopter flight $140 for 12 minutes. There should be prices for locals so that we also enjoy these products,” said Mark Sibanda from Bulawayo.

He said together with his family of four, they had only gone to the Victoria Falls Rainforest where the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority charges locals $7.

Regional tourists pay $20 while international tourists are forking out $30.
Another local tourist Innocent Shoko from Gweru said Government should quickly consider incentivising civil servants so that they can visit tourist attractions in the country.

In a recent interview, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Florence Nhekairo, said the issue of overpricing had been one of the factors hampering the growth and development of domestic tourism.

She said: “The Government is concerned with fees charged by three-star hotels and below as they are higher than those of their counterparts in the region and we are looking into the various cost drivers.”

The Zimbabwe Council for Tourism president Francis Ngwenya said part of the reason for overpricing was multiple licensing which continued to affect the tourism industry as well as the entrance of new players.

He added that the trend was not only in tourism but also in other sectors.
Players in the tourism sector incur high costs for example in licence fees charged by the Environmental Management Agency, the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe, ZPWMA, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Zimbabwe National Water Authority and Zesa.