Onslaught Of Tourists Threatens Victoria Falls

 By Deseret News

Apr 26, 1996, 7:00am BST

Reuter News Service

The wall of water over a mile wide tumbling into the Zambezi River gorges is as awesome today as when David Livingstone became the first European to see it in 1855.

But Victoria Falls, the world's biggest waterfall straddling the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is facing a growing onslaught from tourists whose numbers could triple in 10 years. Conservationists fear the hundreds of thousands of visitors who flock to the falls each year could end up destroying the very wilderness they come to see.

The Zambezi upriver from the falls is already invaded by an armada of "sundowner" cruise boats each evening while small planes and helicopters vie for aerial views overhead.

Downriver, more and more intrepid travelers white-water raft through the gorges - and in between, the downright reckless queue up for the world's highest bungee jump from the Victoria Falls bridge.

For the local economy, this is boom time.

Incoming flights and hotels are full, more so than ever before this year as excellent summer rains restore the falls to their former glory after years of drought.

For the moment, the falls - known locally as Mosi-Oa-Tunya or "the smoke that thunders" - remain relatively unscathed by the invasion.

The rain forest created by the plume of spray rising 1,000 feet into the air is still pristine, apart from the narrow concrete path along the edge of the waterfall. The surrounding game parks offer vistas of unspoiled African bush.

But that could change with hotel groups planning to cash in on the resort's growing popularity by building another four hotels, including a large Sheraton that would protrude above the tree line.

At present the town of Victoria Falls has eight hotels plus three under construction. There are five on the Zambian side.

In an effort to balance the needs of tourism and conservation, the governments of Zimbabwe and Zambia commissioned a study from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature into future development of the area.

But the report, presented at the end of March, has only fueled controversy after Zimbabwe rejected a key recommendation for a moratorium on new projects pending a detailed master plan for the area.

The Zambezi Society conservation group said it was disappointed by the rejection of the moratorium call.

"We believe it is essential that the Victoria Falls area retains the wilderness quality that people have come to Africa to experience," it said.

The IUCN report concluded that further development in the area would inevitably have a significant environmental impact.

"If tourism increases two or three times in the next 10 years, which is the scenario we are talking about, it is going to be necessary to put limits on use," said IUCN program officer Jan Sugl.

Source: Onslaught Of Tourists Threatens Victoria Falls (26/04/96)