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Minister Prisca Mupfumira

The Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry has over the years bemoaned the low figures of locals visiting the country’s tourist destinations.

It was because of this realisation that the Ministry in 2014 launched a domestic tourism campaign aimed at enhancing communities’ participation in the sector thereby creating wealth for the ordinary people.

The campaign was meant to see communities and locals benefiting from the revival of the monuments that would be upgraded to tourist sites where affordable rates would be charged. The low figures of locals visiting tourist destinations across the country has been attributed to high prices charged by tourism operators.

Most locals cannot afford accommodation rates and prices for other tourism activities charged by operators. Acting Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Prisca Mupfumira called on those in the tourism industry to consider reducing accommodation and leisure activities rates for locals as a way of boosting domestic tourism. She said government was aware of the exorbitant prices charged for accommodation and tourism activities and there was a need to review the prices to make them affordable to locals.

Minister Mupfumira who spent the whole of last week in Victoria Falls attending the International Labour Organisation retreat, had a chance to sample a number of tourism activities offered by the resort town and interact with locals who expressed concern at the high charges.

She said rates such as $7 per individual to enter the Rainforest, $5 to visit the Crocodile Farm and about $200 for each activity in respect of bungee jumping, white water rafting, helicopter flight and lion and elephant walk, were too high for locals.

Minister Mupfumira said the high fees were therefore adversely affecting domestic tourism and implored the tourism industry to urgently address the issue. She said the industry could start by providing special packages especially for school children.

It is sad to note that many schoolchildren have only read about the country’s tourist destinations yet some of them are just a few kilometres away.

We totally agree with Minister Mupfimira that there is a need to review the fees downwards especially for locals.

Zimbabwe’s rates are said to be very high compared to other tourist destinations in the region and this negatively impacts on the international tourists arrivals. The tourism industry should aim at growing the industry through increased tourists arrivals as well as increased numbers of locals visiting the tourist destinations.

It is sad to note that lodges across the Limpopo in the neighbouring South Africa are cheaper than lodges in Beitbridge town for example thereby forcing Zimbabwean families to spend their holidays in SA. Zimbabwe has one of the best tourist destinations in the region and there is therefore no reason why Zimbabweans should not be attracted to these places.

We would like a situation whereby an average Zimbabwean family can afford to spend a few days at a tourist destination in Zimbabwe probably once a year. This is only possible if the industry makes accommodation and tourism activities rates affordable to the majority of locals.

We want to once again implore the tourism industry to urgently address the issue of exorbitant accommodation and tourism activities rates in order to boost domestic tourism as well as international tourists arrivals.