Despite an abundant supply of wildlife, breath-taking views and opportunities for water sports, Kariba seems to be losing out to Victoria Falls and other centres.
“There is no business in Kariba because tourism is dead,” a tour operator said. She told The Zimbabwean at the recent Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel and Tourism Africa Fair in Harare that there were no prospects of improvement without the introduction of connecting flights by Air Zimbabwe.
Nigel Ncube, the chairman of the Kariba Publicity Association, said the absence of Air Zimbabwe had forced Kariba to survive on the few local people who managed to drive to the resort for leisure as domestic tourists.
“We end up depending on the local market because regional and international tourists do not fancy long journeys by road,” he said. Ncube said that efforts to engage Air Zimbabwe to reintroduce flights were continuing. The town’s former mayor, Nicholas Hwindiri, said poor marketing affected tourism in Kariba. “Most of our visitors are schoolchildren because adults think that there is nothing to see in Kariba. This perception is not correct because there are a variety of water-based activities and game drives,” he said.
He said government should use alternative venues for domestic conferences, including Kariba, instead of concentrating on Victoria Falls.
Post published in: News