ZimParks in $12.5 million debt

Minister of environment, water and climate Saviour kasukuwere has revealed that the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management is saddled in a $12.5 million debt.

The debt is crippling functions of the organisation.

Kasukuwere told Parliament that Parks and Wildlife authority which has the mandate to manage all wildlife in the country is still struggling to raise adequate working capital to meet its operational and capital requirements and this has resulted in the accumulation of obligations which are now standing at $12.5 Million.

"The Authority has statutory obligations to carry our functions such as problem animal control, fire management, law enforcement, environmental education and awareness campaigns, as its contribution to safeguarding our natural heritage, public safety and security, food security, etc.

"These statutory obligations are not revenue streams but cost centres in which all costs are borne by the Authority without any fiscal assistance."

He said out of a total of 66 protected areas, only 12 or 18% are generating sufficient revenue to cover their operational expenses.

"Conservation is expensive and requires Government support especially in the face of many wildlife trade restrictions.

"The organisation is struggling to meet minimum standards for conservation since it is self financing conservation.

"Furthermore, there is a challenge of resource for field operations, administration and investments."

Source: ZimParks in $12.5 million debt ()

Vic Falls Council sticks to its guns

VICTORIA Falls Municipality has vowed not to reverse the rate increases proposed in the 2015 budget following complaints by tourism operators that the charges were too high.

By Ruth Ngwenya

There has been an outcry by tourism operators after the rates were increased by more than 500%, which saw some operators forced to pay $11 000 from $3 000 monthly.

Stakeholders in the tourist resort town discussed the matter last week during meetings presided over by Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke and Zimbabwe Tourism Council chief executive officer Paul Matamisa where efforts to reach a compromise failed.

Speaking during a full council meeting on Tuesday, town clerk Christopher Dube said it was too late for tourism operators to present their complaints because the budget was already operational.

“It has been made clear to them (tourism operators) that the budget under discussion is the 2015 one which was crafted following all legal processes,” Dube said.

He said the municipality received only two objections after the council advertised the proposed rates last year.

The town clerk said the local authority could have reviewed the proposals if at least 21 objections had been lodged.

“Council rejected the objections as not sufficient in terms of law and approved the 2015 budget which was forwarded and approved by the (Local Government) minister (Ignatius Chombo),” he said.

However, Kaseke insisted that the rates should be reviewed as they were too high.

“We were trying to reach some understanding and I see that this is now threatening the tourism capital of Zimbabwe,” he said.

“Yes, the council needs to survive and they must have means to maintain and deliver excellent services, but it should not be achieved through an out-of-way increase.”

He said the tourism sector, which employs over 10 000 people in Victoria Falls alone, contributed 11% to gross domestic product last year.

But mayor Sifiso Mpofu dismissed Kaseke saying he could not dictate what should happen in the resort town.

“Things have to start working in Victoria Falls and we should stop listening to people from Harare,” he said.

“Who is Kaseke to come and challenge something that the minister approved?”

Source: Vic Falls sticks to its guns (14/05/15)

Mosi-Oa-Tunya inaugural board named

 TOURISM and Hospitality Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi has appointed the inaugural board for Mosi-Oa-Tunya Development Company and immediately tasked it to drive the modernisation of resort town, Victoria Falls.Minister Mzembi said the board’s litmus test was developing tourism facilities in the resort on the 274 hectares which Government donated to the ministry in 2012.

The Tourism Minister said that the firm’s other immediate mandate was finding investors for the project he said will change the face of the iconic tourist resort.

Minister Mzembi said while modernising Victoria Falls would alter and add to the colonial legacy of the infrastructure and stock of tourism facilities in the resort. He said Cabinet directed that the project must take off immediately.

“The board has to ensure we find investors for this project and it will be prudent to issue an international call for expression of interest,” the minister said.

Mosi-Oa-Tunya is a Special Purpose Vehicle for the Ministry of Tourism Hospitality Industry set up to mobilise resources for the United Nations World Tourism General Assembly co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia in 2012.

It is expected that the upgraded and refurbishment of Victoria Falls Airport will help drive traffic to the resort as more international airlines would ply the route.

“Victoria Falls is a litmus test for the board and will determine our success going forward as its success will make other stakeholders invite our interests in other national projects,” Minister Mzembi while availing the board.

The board would also be charged with identifying tourism projects of similar appeal across the country, but its immediate focus will be Victoria Falls.

While Government normally discharged its mandates through parastatals and State enterprises, it departed from this norm and embraced a business approach.

Minister Mzembi said development of the firm would be guided by the National Tourism Master Plan, which will provide organised and structured framework for sustainable development of the tourism industry in the country.

He said members of the board had been appointed on the basis of their skills, qualifications and experience in various sectors, both public and private.

The board is chaired by prominent business executive Ms Ruth Ncube who will be deputised by Mr Innocent Gwisai, an architect based in South Africa.

ZTA staffer Mr Reason Machigere, tourism ministry director of policy and research Mr Douglas Runyowa, University of Zimbabwe director physical planning (education), Ms Diana Chimhanda and Mr Arthur Musakwa, Parks and Wildlife Management Authority regional director, also make up the board.

Other members include Ministry of Finance staffer Mr Fidelis Ngorora, surveyor general Mr Edwin Kuvaza, academic Dr Dzidziso Kamuriwo and Ms Victoria Mugabe.

Minister Mzembi also tasked the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s newly appointed seven member board to look at ways of right sizing the authority’s staff complement to spare resources for its core mandate.

“This board should be mindful that the Government is on an austerity measures programme due to challenges posed by the economic environment, Minister Mzembi told a media briefing in the capital yesterday.

The Tourism minister said that his ministry could no longer afford to take the business as usual approach to both revenue and expenditure patterns when fiscal support from Government was now an exception needing justification.

“I consequently expect the board to put in place bold measures to ensure that we collect what is due to us and also implement robust cost cutting measures.”

Minister Mzembi said that ZTA should comply with the requirement that the entity’s total employment costs should constitute at most 30 percent of budgeted expenditure while 70 percent should go to operations and programmes.

TelOne Chief Executive Mrs Chipo Mutasa was yesterday appointed the new board chairperson and has replaced business woman, Mrs Marah Hativagone while prominent lawyer Mr James Muzangaza will deputise her.

Other board members include Immigration principal director Mr Clemence Masango, director of national museums Mr Godfrey Mahachi, Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry staffer Douglas Runyowa and Ms Faith Ntabeni and Mr Blessing Munyenyiwa; both players in the tourism industry.

Source: Mosi-Oa-Tunya inaugural board named (07/05/2015)

Mzembi appoints board to spearhead tourism venture

 HARARE – Tourism minister Walter Mzembi has unveiled a board of directors for Mosi-oa-Tunya Development Company (MTDC) to spearhead the development of an eco-Disneyland theme park on 274 hectares in the country’s prime tourist destination Victoria Falls.

Announcing the new board, chaired by First Mutual Life Assurance managing director Ruth Ncube, Mzembi said the board’s immediate task was to drive the modernisation of the resort town.

“This project on its own will be the game changer as it will provide for the diversification of tourism products in the town of Victoria Falls. The board has to ensure we find investors for this project and it will be prudent to issue out an international call of expression of interest,” Mzembi told a press conference on Monday.

He noted that the project, which seeks partners to develop the land by building new infrastructure such as hotels, conference facilities and casinos among others, was a litmus test for the board.

This comes as last year during BBC’s Hard Talk interview, Mzembi revealed that players on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) were interested in becoming partners of the project.

“Government is working on a framework to introduce special economic zones and the Victoria Falls area has been identified as a pilot phase and this will complement the modernisation of the resort town,” said Mzembi.

The board is expected to be guided by the National Tourism Master Plan, which will provide an organised and structured framework for sustainable tourism development in Zimbabwe.

“It will identify new frontiers for tourism development throughout the country’s 10 provinces,” he said.

Mzembi added that “One of the issues that we have discovered is that there is a crisis of confidence especially relating to property rights within the sector. We have decided to fix that. Government will underwrite that through Mosi- oa-Tunya so that investors have confidence”.

Source: Mzembi appoints board to spearhead tourism venture (07/05/2015)

Mosi-Oa-Tunya inaugural board named

 TOURISM and Hospitality Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi has appointed the inaugural board for Mosi-Oa-Tunya Development Company and immediately tasked it to drive the modernisation of resort town, Victoria Falls. Minister Mzembi said the board’s litmus test was developing tourism facilities in the resort on the 274 hectares which Government donated to the ministry in 2012.

The Tourism Minister said that the firm’s other immediate mandate was finding investors for the project he said will change the face of the iconic tourist resort.

Minister Mzembi said while modernising Victoria Falls would alter and add to the colonial legacy of the infrastructure and stock of tourism facilities in the resort. He said Cabinet directed that the project must take off immediately.

“The board has to ensure we find investors for this project and it will be prudent to issue an international call for expression of interest,” the minister said.

Mosi-Oa-Tunya is a Special Purpose Vehicle for the Ministry of Tourism Hospitality Industry set up to mobilise resources for the United Nations World Tourism General Assembly co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia in 2012.

It is expected that the upgraded and refurbishment of Victoria Falls Airport will help drive traffic to the resort as more international airlines would ply the route.

“Victoria Falls is a litmus test for the board and will determine our success going forward as its success will make other stakeholders invite our interests in other national projects,” Minister Mzembi while availing the board.

The board would also be charged with identifying tourism projects of similar appeal across the country, but its immediate focus will be Victoria Falls.

While Government normally discharged its mandates through parastatals and State enterprises, it departed from this norm and embraced a business approach.

Minister Mzembi said development of the firm would be guided by the National Tourism Master Plan, which will provide organised and structured framework for sustainable development of the tourism industry in the country.

He said members of the board had been appointed on the basis of their skills, qualifications and experience in various sectors, both public and private.

The board is chaired by prominent business executive Ms Ruth Ncube who will be deputised by Mr Innocent Gwisai, an architect based in South Africa.

ZTA staffer Mr Reason Machigere, tourism ministry director of policy and research Mr Douglas Runyowa, University of Zimbabwe director physical planning (education), Ms Diana Chimhanda and Mr Arthur Musakwa, Parks and Wildlife Management Authority regional director, also make up the board.

Other members include Ministry of Finance staffer Mr Fidelis Ngorora, surveyor general Mr Edwin Kuvaza, academic Dr Dzidziso Kamuriwo and Ms Victoria Mugabe.

Minister Mzembi also tasked the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s newly appointed seven member board to look at ways of right sizing the authority’s staff complement to spare resources for its core mandate.

“This board should be mindful that the Government is on an austerity measures programme due to challenges posed by the economic environment, Minister Mzembi told a media briefing in the capital yesterday.

The Tourism minister said that his ministry could no longer afford to take the business as usual approach to both revenue and expenditure patterns when fiscal support from Government was now an exception needing justification.

“I consequently expect the board to put in place bold measures to ensure that we collect what is due to us and also implement robust cost cutting measures.”

Minister Mzembi said that ZTA should comply with the requirement that the entity’s total employment costs should constitute at most 30 percent of budgeted expenditure while 70 percent should go to operations and programmes.

TelOne Chief Executive Mrs Chipo Mutasa was yesterday appointed the new board chairperson and has replaced business woman, Mrs Marah Hativagone while prominent lawyer Mr James Muzangaza will deputise her.

Other board members include Immigration principal director Mr Clemence Masango, director of national museums Mr Godfrey Mahachi, Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry staffer Douglas Runyowa and Ms Faith Ntabeni and Mr Blessing Munyenyiwa; both players in the tourism industry.

Source: Mosi-Oa-Tunya inaugural board named (06/05/2015)

Zimbabwe vows to export elephants despite criticism, seeks cash for conservation

ZIMBABWE vowed on Wednesday to shrug off international pressure and forge ahead with the export of live elephants to raise funds for conservation and curb the animals’ population.

The government’s stance came in the wake of condemnation by animal rights groups over plans to export at least 62 baby elephants.

“Despite the misplaced concerns about animal rights and welfare issues, Zimbabwe will continue capturing and translocating live animals to approved appropriate and acceptable destinations,” Enviroment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere told lawmakers.

He said the exports were legal and followed Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) procedures.

The government says Zimbabwe is home to 80,000 elephants but can cope with only 42,000.

“Zimbabwe has currently opted for non-lethal methods such as capture and relocation including live sales and exports,” Kasukuwere said.

He added that zoos in the United States, Germany and Australia all had endangered species such as elephants exported from Zimbabwe.

Last month US-Canadian actress Pamela Anderson appealed to Zimbabwe to stop the export of dozens of baby elephants to China and the United Arab Emirates.

At least 300 elephants died last year in Zimbabwe’s Hwange national park after poachers poisoned their watering holes with cyanide.

Park authorities said lack of funds had limited patrols by game rangers leave animals at the mercy of poachers.

Source: Zimbabwe vows to export elephants despite criticism, seeks cash for conservation ()06/05/2015)

Zimbabwe’s tourist arrivals increase 2.6%

ZIMBABWE’S tourist arrivals went up 2,6% in 2014 to 1 880 028 compared to the previous year, buoyed by arrivals from Africa, Europe and America, latest figures show.

Tarisai Mandizha

According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) 2014 tourism overview report, there were 1 600 496 tourist arrivals form African countries, 137 465 arrivals from Europe and 66 826 arrivals from America in the year under review.

The country also recorded 42 798 and 26 031 tourist arrivals from Asia and Oceania respectively.

“This growth is 0, 7 percentage points below the sub-Saharan growth of 3,3%. There was growth in arrivals from all of the country’s major source regions except the Asia. Zimbabwe still receives 85% of tourist arrivals from low value markets,” reads the ZTA report.

In the period under review tourism receipts recorded a marginal 3% decline from US$856 million to US$827 million.

According to the reports, Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls constitute 64% of all the room and bed capacity in the country making them the major regions in accommodation.

The average room occupancy levels for Harare rose to 59% from 52% in 2013. In Bulawayo room occupancy fell to 44% from 52% while in Victoria Falls it also fell to 49% from 53%.

Bed occupancy levels in Harare also rose to 43% from 35%. Bulawayo declined in average bed occupancy levels to 32% from 34% while Victoria Falls declined to 40% in 2014 from 48%.

Overall, the national average hotel room occupancy levels remained inert at 48% while bed occupancy level fell by a percentage point from 37% to 36% in 2014.

Except in Victoria Falls, which had a foreign clientele of 73%, the domestic clientele drove the accommodation sector with 78% of hotel clientele being local. This was however, inhibited by slow economic growth.

ZTA said international tourist arrivals reached 1,138 billion in 2014, a 4,7% increase over the previous year.

“Overall demand was healthy with 51 million more tourists travelling the world. For 2015, United Nations World Tourism Organisations (UNWTO) forecasts international tourism to grow by 3% to 4%, further contributing to the global economic recovery. UNWTO estimates 75% — about 853 million of all global arrivals — to be intraregional travel.

“The strongest growth in 2014 was registered in The Americas. Asia and Pacific had the second fastest growth in international arrivals. Sub-Sahara Africa grew at a faster rate of 3,3% compared to North Africa’s 0,5%,” reads the report.

Source: Zimbabwe’s tourist arrivals increase 2.6% (02/05/15)