Victoria Falls : A town on the verge of collapse...

... as Tourism staggers and stutters like a drunken man.

03 May 2020

By Hosia Mviringi

Victoria Falls town is situated on the North-Western tip of the Teapot shaped Southern African nation of Zimbabwe.

The town is situated on the riverbanks of the mighty Zambezi river just at the border with Zambia.

The town is rich in biodiversity as a mix of wildlife and human activities coexist without conflict.

With no fences or boundaries to separate the town from the national Parks wild animals roam freely in this town.

The year 2019 was a very dry year and it saw the water on the Zambezi river falling to unprecedented levels thus greatly reducing the spectacle of falling water.

Mr Steven Sackur, a BBC Hardtalk program anchor visited the Victoria Falls during the lowest months of the year in 2019, and maybe out of frustration, allegedly reported to the world through his Twitter handle that the Victoria Falls was drying up.It is alleged that he attributed the sad phenomenon to Corruption and misgovernance by the Zimbabwean authorities.

He apparently ignored the fact that the region which forms the catchment for the upper Zambezi river had experienced prolonged drought seasons which impacted negatively on the water flows into the Zambezi river.His motive remains unknown.

Mr Philani Moyo expressed frustration with the BBC coverage of the phenomenon that had befell the beloved Victoria Falls monument.He had this to say,

"It pains me a lot that in the previous months we have been fighting a battle to convince the world that the Victoria Falls is not dry. The world had seemed convinced by one British journalist Steven Sackur who had reported that the Victoria Falls has dried up.".

The Victoria Falls is flowing in full force with all its glory and majesty, and so will it be same time next year. We are getting accustomed to this kind of negative reporting by foreign journalists, everyone who knows Victoria Falls will tell you that this is the time to come and see the magnificence of this iconic landmark.

An aerial view of the Victoria Falls on the Zimbabwean side

The Victoria Falls is iconic and is famed for its majestic splendor that it exudes to the discerning visitor who dares explore this wonder of the world.

Prior to the current wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Zimbabwe had long suffered the effects of negative reporting and Sanctions which triggered travel warnings by major tourist source markets such as the United States and Europe.

Enter Covid-19

The discovery of the novel Coronavirus in late 2019 in the Wuhan Province of China was a major blow to the Travel and Hospitality industry world over, and Zimbabwe has not been spared.

The grounding of airlines, closures of borders and subsequent mandatory quarantine in form of lockdowns have compounded the crisis on the sector.

Victoria Falls at the moment since the lockdowns started resembles a ghost town, deserted and desolate.

Hotels have become huge white elephants in the middle of a city.

The town is literally lifeless.

How can Victoria Falls survive without any alternative industry to sustain its economy?

How long can the residents of Victoria Falls survive without an income?

2020 is a wasted year

It is beyond any doubt that the year 2020 is wasted completely.

Victoria Falls falls was about to enter into its peak season as the Zambezi river is nearing its highest flow levels.

Ms Yvonne Jandles of Rputes through Africa contended that indeed there remains nothing to salvage for the year 2020 as the Covid19 induced lockdowns take a toll.

She said that despite spirited efforts by players in the travel and tourism sector to convince customers not to cancel their bookings completely it was apparent that confidence had died down among their clients for ever traveling again this year.

"We have seen unprecedented cancellations of bookings for the whole 2020 tourist season.This has triggered claims for refunds on prepaid bookings.

This will undoubtedly leave a trail of destruction as some companies will fold due to financial bankruptcy".

She said her company had lost a cumulative US$35000 for the period of June and July alone due to cancellations, with claims for refunds stacked on her desk.

This she said has had a negative impact on Employment within the sector as many operators may not sustain the current staffing levels.

She said that most companies had already terminated contracts for most of their employees while most permanent workers had either been sent on indefinite unpaid leave or had been retained as skeletal staff on half salary.

" The impact on Employment will be very huge and devastating.Many will lose their jobs as the environment remains unpredictable.

Operators will be faced with additional unforeseen expenses such as reconfiguration of infrastructure such as dinning places and transportation.More money will be spent on PPE, sanitization and fumigation, retraining and reorientation.

These necessary but unplanned expenditures will put a further strain on the already struggling operators".

Ms Yvonne Jandles of Routes Through Africa

Bitter Sweet experience

Ms Yvonne Jandles further highlighted that the 2020 tourist season can be described as bitter sweee.

This year the Victoria Falls is experiencing one of its highest flows since 1968.

It is this spectacle of the single largest blanket of falling water on earth that every tourist would want to see.The Victoria Falls is presenting a rare sight this year which, unfortunately no visitor will be able to see at present.

For the residents of Victoria Falls town this year was supposed to be the best year ever, what with the anticipated influx of tourists and of course the periodic glorious showers which bless the residents of the town almost all year through.

The beautiful and magnificent rainbow will be decorating the gorge with no one to behold its beauty.

I know that the Zambezi river gods will be disappointed, with no one to behold and bask in the glory of the wonderful works of their hands.

Monkeys in the rainforest will miss their strange fellows who occassionally walk with them and share their fruits with them.

Its indeed a compelling bitter sweet scenario.

A look into the future

The future of tourism in Zimbabwe just like elsewhere is faced with handles ahead.

Recovery will be mainly dependent on the level of resources that the industry is willing and able spend in advertising an marketing campaigns.

A strong nd well resourced marketing strategy is needed if the country is going to mount an effective challenge for a share of the world tourism market.

This can not happen without full cooperation by all stakeholders who include the government.

Said Ms Jandles,

" The travel business is very sensitive and considering that the coronavirus has been transmitted to the world through movement of people it will take time to convince travelers to start travelling again.

Most people use their emotions to judge and make decisions, and the fear of the unknown become a compelling factor, so naturally they would avoid travelling whenever and wherever their health and security is under threat as is the case in this case of Covid19.

Inward looking

Players in the Hospitality sector contend that going forward, in the short to medium term, a strategy will need to be formulated to attract domestic tourists as a foundation to restart this once lucrative sector.

However players are alive to the fact that this is not going to be easy considering the looming job losses as a result of the worldwide lockdown, which will substantially put a strain on the disposable incomesby locals.

Asked on the role of domestic Tourism to the recovery of the sector Mr Philani Moyo had this to say,

" Domestic tourism has been traditionally low.A lot needs so be done to improve the numbers.There is huge potential to be exploited locally

However domestic tourists will only visit for a day or two, and once they see the Falls then that’s it.

The biggest beneficiaries of domestic tourism have been accommodation providers and restaurants. Otherwise tour operators have always recorded a low number of domestic tourists. I think this owes, to a greater extent, to the high prices charged which are practically beyond reach of many Zimbabweans.

Imagine a helicopter flight at a whooping US$150 would mean that a family of six need to part with US$900 for that alone.Not many families can afford this price.

I think going forward as a sector we need to re-strategize and make such things affordable to our own people.This will be very important so that we build a sustainable local buffer market"

Hope for the future

Like everyone else in the world the hope is that this pandemic will soon be over and people can start getting out again.

The government through the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority needs to invest substantially in marketing the country as a destination of choice.

"The consolation that we have is that Emirates Airlines are set to start flying into the country tentatively at the beginning of July and we are hopeful that this gesture will boost confidence in other major Airlines to start flying into our country and into Victoria Falls in particular.

The upgrading of the Victoria Falls International Airport is a positive stimulus for tourism.The airport can now accommodate wide bodied aircraft and the passenger handling capacity has increased substantially", said Ms Jandles.

Government as a partner

There is no denying that Tourism is a major contributor to the Country's GDP and a major earner of foreign exchange. Thus government has an integral role to play for the revival of tourism post Covid-19.

Government is expected to come to the party and contribute towards the expedited recovery of the Tourism sector.

Some of the anticipated interventions by government will include but not limited to;

•Tax holidays for existing operators

•Exchange control relaxation regarding liquidation of Forex under the forex retention framework

•Deferment of licenses and permits renewals

•Flexibility of labour laws regarding mostly termination of contracts

•Provision of a revolving fund to support ailing operators in the sector.

•Waiver of duty on sector related imports.

Healthcare System

The recovery of the tourism sector will to a larger extent depend on the reliability of the local Health delivery system.

This calls for a major investment effort both from the public and private sector players to upgrade local health facilities to meet expectations of International travellers.This can not be overemphasized.

Companies are however urged to continue playing a role in the conservation of the environment because when everything has passed, the environment will remain as the most invaluable asset to the industry.

The Victoria Falls is not dry.We look ahead with confidence.

Advertisement

Routes Through Africa

Routes Through Africa is a destination management company that strives to create unforgettable experiences for the discerning traveler. We pride ourselves in crafting tailor made itineraries to suit your taste and pocket. We use our extensive destination knowledge and only the best products to deliver a quality travel experience

Contact us:

Tele / Fax: +263 213 2842259

Cell: +263 712 384 924 / +263 712 602 949

e-mail: yvonne@routesthruafrica.com

                res@routesthruafrica.com

                res1@routesthruafrica.com

website: www.routesthruafrica.com

Yvonne Jandles

Managing Director

Routes Through Africa

Box CT153

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Tel: +263 283 2842259

Cell: +263 712 384 924

e-mail: yvonne@routesthruafrica.com

Website: www.routesthruafrica.com

Skype: yvonne.jandles