New tourism venture opened in Vic Falls

Harare – Tourism group Tourvest says its newest venture, a luxury tented camp in its concession in the Victoria Falls National Park costing “just over $1 million” to develop, has already been fully occupied on several days since its opening on July 6 this year. 

Gary Elmes, the chief executive of Tourvest Products, said that although comparatively few tourists were going further into Zimbabwe at this stage, he was investigating opportunities for possible new developments in the country. Pointing out that Victoria Falls had been “like a separate enclave” from the rest of Zimbabwe as far as tourism was concerned, he said instability over the last decade had deterred many leisure travelers from going to other parts of the country. 

However there has been a remarkable change over the last few months. Industry operators are reporting a 50 percent increase in the number of foreign tourists, mostly from Asia, the UK and US, visiting Victoria Falls in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year. Elmes said high air fares to Victoria Falls from South Africa were a deterrent but added numbers could pick up with the recent introduction of a low-cost airline on the route. 

The company’s new Elephant Camp, with a low ecological impact, is in a concession awarded to Wild Horizons Zimbabwe – a division of Tourvest Products – for 10 years. Wild Horizons wildlife sanctuary, established as a trust fund to benefit a number of conservation projects, had helped to translocate zebra, giraffe, wildebeest and impala on to the concession which, Elmes said, had been “heavily impacted by poachers”. He said other animals on the concession included buffalo, kudu, waterbuck and warthog.

Source: New tourism venture opened in Vic Falls (24/07/10)

Zimbabwe to build Test ground at Victoria Falls

Zimbabwe Cricket has announced the construction of a major new cricket ground close to the iconic Victoria Falls, widely considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world

Zimbabwe Cricket has announced the construction of a major new cricket ground close to the iconic Victoria Falls, widely considered to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

The venue, which will have a capacity of up to 12,000, will be of Test standard, the first such major site outside Harare and Bulawayo, and will utilise the latest ecologically-friendly features. Approval has been obtained from the local authorities and ZC is now working with architects on the final design. The board hopes tenders will go out by the end of August.

 "Victoria Falls is a wonderful location," ZC chief executive Ozias Bvute told Cricinfo."Its climatic conditions create the ideal environment for year-round cricket and its status as an international heritage site and one of the amazing wonders of the world will aid to the excitement of teams visiting it.

"Victoria Falls has always been a fascinating destination for visiting teams and they will undoubtedly revel at the prospect of playing between the mighty falls and surrounding wildlife".

"The ongoing 2010 World Cup means that the eyes of the world are focused on Africa as a sports tourism destination more than ever before and as one of the most loved sports in the world, it is only right that we play our part in making Zimbabwe a sporting destination of choice."

Source: Zimbabwe to build Test ground at Victoria Falls (01/07/10)