Accor enters Zimbabwe with Novotel Victoria Falls deal

 French hospitality giant Accor has announced its entry into Zimbabwe with the signing of a deal for the proposed Novotel Victoria Falls, marking the group’s first hotel brand in the country.

The agreement was formalised during the Future Hospitality Summit Africa that ended in South Africa on Thursday, positioning Accor as a first mover in one of Africa’s most iconic tourism destinations.

“This signing represents a bold step forward in our development strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa,” said Maya Ziade, Accor’s chief development officer for the region.

He described Victoria Falls as one of the world’s most extraordinary destinations and noted that the group is “proud to bring the Novotel brand experience to Zimbabwe for the very first time.”

“As a first mover, we see this project as a gateway to long-term sustainable growth in the country.”

Scheduled to open in 2028, the 111-room hotel will be developed in partnership with Eagle Real Estate Investment Trust and located in the Eagle Heights precinct, overlooking the Masuwe River.

The property will feature an outdoor pool, kids’ club and all-day dining, tailored to modern travellers seeking comfort and local immersion.

Eagle Asset Managers managing director Bevin Ngara said welcome the partnership with Accor, saying it will bring an international standard of hospitality to Victoria Falls.

“This project reflects our vision of investing in transformative developments that elevate tourism and deliver value to local communities and investors alike.”

The move comes amid rising regional and domestic tourism in Zimbabwe, with Victoria Falls increasingly positioned as a year-round destination.

Victoria Falls – known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya or “The Smoke That Thunders” – is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.

Beyond its dramatic waterfall, the resort town is a magnet for adventure tourism, offering white-water rafting, bungee jumping and helicopter tours.

With over 590 Novotel properties worldwide, the Accor’s debut in Zimbabwe is expected to elevate the country’s hospitality offering and support its broader tourism growth strategy.

Source: Accor enters Zimbabwe with Novotel Victoria Falls deal (20/06/25)

New Report on Victoria Falls Contested Conservation Zone

Keep Victoria Falls Wild, June 2025

A new report, commissioned by Keep Victoria Falls Wild, reviews the protections given under the UNESCO World Heritage Listing and concludes the south-bank riverine fringe, and site of the controversial Baines Restaurant development, is located within the 'Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone' which affords the maximum level of protection under the Listing - and prevents all new infrastructure development.

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (June 2025) Special Report on the Riverine Fringe (pdf download, 1.8mb)

The text of the 2016 Joint Integrated Management Plan (JIMP), the latest approved plan covering the management of the World Heritage Site, definitively places riverine fringe above the Falls as being within the Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone (HESZ). (Following quote annotated with additional details in block brackets for clarity).

(i) Highly Ecologically Sensitive Zone (Block 6) - Starting from... the Victoria Falls Bridge, thence north-westwards following the [fenced boundary of VFNP Area B along the road corridor past the] Victoria Falls Rainforest [entrance, following this boundary round to the turning off of the riverside road known as ‘Zambezi Drive’], thence up the Zambezi River [along the line of the road], covering the riverine vegetation strip to where it joins the Zambezi National Park boundary.” (State Parties, 2016, p.29/90)

Map showing boundary of Victoria Falls World Heritage Site management zones.

(click image for larger jpg version - 1 mb).

The report concludes "To interpret the zonation covering the riparian fringe as anything other than within the HESZ would be to conflict with the 2016 JIMP as well as with over 100 years of conservation and protection of the Falls environment... Questions need be asked as to how and why the National Park Director General, then Dr Fulton Mangwanya, could believe that this area was within the MESZ in his approval letter for the Baines Restaurant development (ZPWMA, June 2021). It is beyond belief to imagine that this was a simple mistake or oversight." (KVFW, 2025)

The report also highlights a history of manipulation of information presented in reports to UNESCO and dilution of protections to give false legitimacy to tourism developments in the south-bank (Zimbabwean) upstream riverine corridor (KVFW 2023a, 2024). These include the area of the upstream ZNP missing from the 2007 JIMP map and text descriptions, and which subsequently saw the development of the Victoria Falls River Lodge (opened in 2012), before being confirmed as being within the HESZ in the 2016 JIMP (despite which the area also saw the development of the Old Drift Lodge in 2018). In a second example the area of the upstream riverine fringe surrounding the Elephant Hills Golf Course, identified as being within the HESZ in the 2007 JIMP, is demoted to the MESZ in the map and text descriptions presented in the 2016 JIMP, without the changes being justified or explained, despite commitments by State Parties not to dilute the protections of the WHS. This area is now under threat from the proposed 'Tree Lodge' development.

In addition the report identifies the persistent failure of State Parties to report proposed developments and submit thorough independent ESIA (Environmental and Social Impact Assessment) documents to UNESCO for comment before they are approved.

The report calls for the closure and removal of all illegitimate developments within the World Heritage Site HESZ and a full investigation into how these developments were allowed by the Zimbabwean National Park Authority.

Read More

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (2023a) 2023 State of Development Final Report.

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (2023b) Spotlight on Baines Restaurant.

Keep Victoria Falls Wild (2024) 2024 State of Development Final Report.

State Parties (2016) 2016-2021 Victoria Falls/Mosi-oa-Tunya World Heritage Site Joint Integrated Management Plan. [Available to download from the UNESCO World Heritage website here.]

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (June 2021) Application (former Railway Water-Pump Station, Victoria Falls Long Term Lease. Letter from Dr F U Mangwanya, Director-General, ZPWMA, 22 June 2021, Document Q6; Appendix A. [Available to download from KVFW website here.].

Zimbabwe And Zambia Renew Investor Search For Batoka Gorge Project

 Zimbabwe and Zambia, through the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), have revived the Batoka Gorge Hydropower Project, a 2,400-megawatt facility planned downstream of Victoria Falls, which remains one of their most ambitious initiatives.

First proposed in 1992, the site, about 54 kilometres below the falls, was identified for its hydroelectric potential.

Backed by early feasibility studies from the World Bank, the project was meant to boost power supply for Zimbabwe and Zambia and reduce regional energy shortages.

However, progress stalled due to strained international relations, environmental concerns, and a lack of funding.

The project was dormant until 2012, when renewed interest led to a 2014 memorandum of understanding between Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The African Development Bank supported updated studies, and in 2019, General Electric (GE) of the United States and Power Construction Corporation of China were awarded the contract under a build-operate-transfer model.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic, questions over procurement transparency, and Zambia’s 2023 withdrawal from the deal further derailed progress.

ZRA is now intensifying efforts to attract new investors to the Batoka Gorge project.

ZRA Chief Executive Officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa confirmed that a dedicated project team has been established to spearhead the resource mobilisation campaign. He said:

The ZRA has formed a team that will court investors in the proposed 2,400-megawatt facility. This facility will be located near the World Heritage Site, Victoria Falls.

He said the resource mobilisation drive is expected to run for the next 12 to 18 months, depending on investor interest, market conditions, and ongoing political backing from both Zimbabwean and Zambian governments.

Zambia and Zimbabwe have also set a September 2025 deadline to pick new bidders, following the cancellation of the 2019 deal.

Source: Zimbabwe And Zambia Renew Investor Search For Batoka Gorge Project (1/6/25)