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President Mugabe

When President Mugabe commissioned the new look Victoria Falls International Airport last month, he urged the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, the Ministry of Tourism and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe to work closely together so that the country can derive maximum economic benefits from the new facility.

Government spent $150 million to upgrade the airport which now has state-of-the-art specialist aviation equipment. Cde Mugabe said the new airport provided the Ministry of Tourism with a platform to vigorously market its products. He said the upgrading of the airport paved way for Victoria Falls town to become a tourist hub receiving tourists from all corners of the globe.

The completion of the project as the President noted, signals exciting times ahead for the aviation and tourism sectors. The country has already started enjoying the benefits of the new look airport which has the capacity to handle 1,5 million passengers a year, up from 500 000.

The new runway can accommodate wide-bodied aircraft such as Airbus, A340, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787. African’s largest airline group, Ethiopian Airlines on Wednesday announced that it will fly direct to Victoria Falls with effect from March next year.

The airline will be flying four times to Victoria Falls and its coming will result in a significant boost in tourist arrivals. The direct flights from Addis Ababa will enable tourists from major cities in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa to fly direct to Victoria Falls.

We are definitely looking forward to more airlines flying direct to Victoria Falls thereby boosting tourist arrivals. Those in the tourism industry should therefore brace for increased tourist arrivals.

We do not want, as the President warned, to be found wanting when it comes to serving our visitors. Those providing tourism products such as accommodation and other services should ensure that they have the capacity to handle more than 1,5 million tourists expected in the resort town every year.

The 1,5 million figure excludes those using other means of transport to travel to Victoria Falls as well as local tourists. Tourism is one of the sectors expected to register rapid growth now that there are few negative reports about the country.

Many tourists that have visited Zimbabwe have proved that the negative reports which were being peddled by the country’s enemies were false and it is the same tourists who have become the country’s true ambassadors helping to rebrand it.

There is no reason why Zimbabwe cannot become a tourist destination of first choice given the many tourist destinations dotted throughout the country that provide world class accommodation and other services. We want to once again implore those in the tourism industry to get ready for the exciting times ahead.