Zambezi Sun Rebrand

Following communication about the Minor Hotel partnering with Sun International in the regional product, please note that Zambezi Sun has been rebranded as Avani Victoria Falls Resort. There are currently no changes to the Royal Livingstone.

Source: Zambezi Sun Rebrand (09/01/15)

Zimbabwe - Zambia tourism cooperation: Victoria Falls bridge open border policy a hoax?

The view of the globe was on Zimbabwe and Zambia in August of 2013. The focus was on having the global travel and tourism industry and government leaders attend and participate at the UNWTO General Assembly. This high-profile event was jointly hosted by both Zimbabwe and Zambia, and delegates attended events in both countries and stayed in hotels in both countries.

The short drive over the famous Victoria Falls bridge took 5 minutes. There was no border control, no customs - delegates hardly noticed they were changing countries many times during the assembly.

Both the presidents and vice presidents and both tourism ministers for both nations attended and spoke at this important United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly.

The bridge connecting both countries was open. The president of Zimbabwe and the president of Zambia called the opening of the bridge an historic moment and pledged to work together to keep this bridge open to make travel and tourism between Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Livingston, Zambia easier in the future.

Tourists would be able to enjoy this wonder of the world without delay and experience it as one attraction.
This idea was echoed by the secretary General of UNWTO and many other tourism leaders.

A year and a half later this seems to have been wishful thinking.

Here is a report from a tourist that recently visited beautiful Victoria Falls.

While visiting Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, we walked across the Victoria Falls Bridge to Zambia. This sounds easy enough to do, but while planning the trip there was a lot of conflicting information about what visas and vaccinations are necessary in order to do this. This may not be the most exciting post, but I am trying to make a clarification for those who have the same questions we did.

We visited Victoria Falls in August 2014. We made this trip as a day trip from Kasane, Botswana, hiring a driver for the day. We chose not to drive into Zimbabwe from Botswana as we read from countless sources that taking a rental car into Zimbabwe is a hassle that is just not worth it.

Our family of six left Kasane at 8 am. The Kazungula border post is located just ten minutes from Kasane. This is the border crossing to take in order to get to Victoria Falls from Kasane.

The first step is to clear customs and immigration on the Botswana side, which is very quick and straightforward. This requires a quick visit into the border control office to get your passport stamped. From here you get back into your car, drive thirty seconds across the border, then clear customs and immigration on the Zimbabwe side. Here is where things slow down. In the morning there are usually large groups of tourists heading to Victoria Falls, so be prepared to wait a half hour or longer to get through this part. It took us one hour to clear customs in both countries.

In order to enter Zimbabwe, a visa will have to be purchased, and there is the option of a single entry or double entry visa. If you are planning on only walking across the Victoria Falls Bridge into Zambia without entering Livingstone, Zambia, only the single entry visa is necessary. If you plan on entering Livingstone, Zambia (going through customs in Zambia) and later re-entering Zimbabwe, then a double entry visa is necessary. We purchased the double entry visa just so we were covered, at a price of $45 USD per person. A single entry visa costs $30 USD. As it would turn out, only a single entry visa was necessary for what we wanted to do.

From the Botswana Zimbabwe border it is a one hour drive to Victoria Falls.

The Victoria Falls Bridge is located outside of Victoria Falls National Park. To walk across the bridge, park in the lot across from the main entrance to the park, make a right out of the parking lot, and walk ten minutes down the road toward the bridge.

Before being allowed to walk onto the bridge it is necessary to clear customs on the Zimbabwe side, since technically you will be entering Zambia halfway across the bridge. You will be given a piece of paper stamped with the Zimbabwe stamp. Keep this piece of paper because this gets you back into Zimbabwe.

From here, walk across the bridge, enjoy views of Victoria Falls and go bungee jumping if your heart desires. Halfway across the bridge is the Zambia border. It is a ten minute walk from the bridge into Zambia to reach their border post.

Once you are finished visiting the bridge, present the stamped piece of paper at border control to re-enter Zimbabwe and you are on your way.

In summary, to just stand on the Victoria Falls Bridge, only a single entry Zimbabwe visa ($30 USD) is necessary. Once at the Victoria Falls border post you will be given a piece of paper with a stamp on it that will get you back into Zimbabwe from the Victoria Falls Bridge.

If you choose to pass through border control in Zambia and later want to re-enter Zimbabwe, you must purchase a double entry visa ($45 USD) for Zimbabwe. Later in your trip, if you plan on entering South Africa, you must also have your Yellow Fever Vaccination. Without this vaccination, you will not be allowed to enter South Africa if you have been to Zambia.

Source: Zimbabwe - Zambia tourism cooperation: Victoria Falls bridge open border policy a hoax? (25/01/15)

Vic Falls Council designs unique debt recovery strategy

WHILE most local authorities are struggling to collect rates and debts, Victoria Falls Town Council has come up with a novel idea of ensuring residents pay and it does not include attaching ratepayers’ property.

Richard Muponde
Senior Reporter

The town council is owed $7 million in unpaid rates and like other municipalities, it has resorted to court orders to get ratepayers to cough up.

But what is of interest is the way it effected operations of court orders which has won the hearts of many.

Under its department of social amenities, the local authority vets and selects some defaulting ratepayers who then clear storm drains, slash grass and clean illegal dumping sites and for their labour, their bills are cleared.

Victoria Falls town clerk Christopher Dube said the local authority had previously disconnected water for residents in order to force them to pay bills, but this was not working.

“However, we have since abandoned that punitive measure as that was making residents suffer,” he said.

“You should understand that some of these residents genuinely fail to pay their bills because of the biting economic environment.

“So we said no, let’s stop disconnections and instead engage residents to come up with payment plans.”

Dube said they copied Bulawayo City Council’s method of going to court to force residents to pay their balance.

“However, we don’t attach residents’ property,” he explained.

“We engage and vet the residents and see those who are genuinely failing to pay.

“These are then introduced to the programmes offered by the social amenities department, where they voluntarily take part in various council programmes as a way of settling their bills.”

Dube said the programmes included cutting grass on roadsides in the town, removing garbage on undesignated sites and clearing storm drain.

He conceded that most local authorities in the country were feeling the pinch of an underperforming economy.

“We are owed a lot of money by residents,” Dube said.

“The problem has affected our service delivery.

“Like any other local authority, we are feeling the pain.

“There are some extreme cases where we have to attach a house because of the magnitude of the bills.

“In these instances we talk to the owner that instead of us auctioning the house, it would be better for him to sell it and pay his bills. The remainder he will take with him and go and start a new-life.”

The council official said they felt that if they auctioned the houses, it would be tantamount to destroying residents’ lives, as they don’t benefit anything if their properties were sold by public auctions.

Other local authorities have been urged to emulate Victoria Falls Town Council’s way of dealing with residents.

Bulawayo Progress ResidentS’ Association secretary Ambrose Sibindi said the facility in the resort town would benefit cities like Bulawayo.

“The programme has a human face because it’s not that residents don’t want to pay,” he said.

“The majority have nothing and can’t make ends meet as they are out of employment and council debts are also accumulating every day.
“They also need their property because they will never get it again.”

Sibindi said if the programme was voluntary, then it would be worth emulating.

“Other local authorities, Bulawayo included, could emulate that,” he said.

“It’s a win–win situation for both residents and the council.”

Sibindi’s sentiments were echoed by his counterpart, Bulawayo Residents Association, chairperson Winos Dube who said such a move was welcome.

“That will go a long way in helping both sides, the council and residents,” he said.

“That will relieve pressure on residents.

“It will really be a good move instead of attaching residents’ property,” he said.

Source: Council designs unique debt recovery strategy (21/01/15)

Victoria Falls gets $500,000 grant

The Victoria Falls refuse collection and waste matter management system received a boost after the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) extended a grant of more than $500,000 to the cash strapped council to rehabilitate a dumping site that had become an eyesore in the resort town.

Another $870,000 loan has also been approved for disbursement to the local authority by central government.

Speaking at a handover ceremony of a refuse truck that was bought by council, Town Clerk Christopher Dube said the government grant will help the council buy an assortment of capital equipment that will help improve service delivery.

“The government has approved a loan of $870,000 for the purchase of various equipment which include a refuse truck, bulldozer, front end loader, tipper trucks and a pneumatic compressor. At the same time, EMA have also approved more than $500,000 meant for the rehabilitation of our dump site,” he said.

Speaking at the same occasion, Victoria Falls mayor Councillor Sifiso Mpofu revealed that council bought a UD truck at a cost of $141,000.

Source: Victoria Falls gets $500,000 grant (17/01/15)

Another Cafe for Vic Falls Town

ZimCafe Pub & Grill chain to open ZimCafe International in Vic Falls Town, due Feb

Source: ZimCafe Opens in Vic Falls

ZimCafe Pub & Grill Restaurant has spread its wings to Victoria Falls with a new hangout that is set to add on to the already glowing city's night life. The new ZimCafe International situated at Zambezi Centre in the resort city will equal the standards of the one that is along Kwame Nkurumah Avenue in Harare with excellent cuisines and quality entertainment.

An official opening is scheduled for February where guests including international visitors will be treated to music and food.

Isaac Neshamba, the director of ZimCafe, said they were happy that the brand was spreading its wings not only in the region but also internationally.

"We are steadily growing into the region and hopefully we are going to hit the international scene. The Victoria Falls hangout is upmarket and a bit spacious to ensure that diners and revellers enjoy themselves freely.

"The official opening is expected in February but already the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality has toured the hangout to have a feel of what the joint is all about and therefore we are raring to go," Neshamba who is more popularly known in the industry as "F&B Guru" said.

Neshamba said while competition was stiff in the resort area, ZimCafe had a unique dining experience which tourists and visitors would find irresistible.

"We did our survey and found out that a lot of hangouts in the city lack in quality entertainment. So every Thursday there is going to be a live performances by different bands and then we shall be hosting top DJs from all the radio stations that include Star FM, Power FM and ZiFM.

"The hangout is not for under-21s so in other words we are looking at the mature crowds as our patrons. And with regards to food, breakfast will be served as well as our signature traditional dishes from Zimbabwe," he said.

He said after visitors tour the falls and taken part in several activities, ZimCafe Pub & Grill should be the place to be to cool off and enjoy the vibes.

Source: ZimCafe Opens in Vic Falls

Victoria Falls to Remain Natural and Untouched

Zimbabwe Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Walter Mzembi, said Victoria Falls and its immediate surroundings would remain natural and untouched, regardless of efforts made to improve infrastructure that would capitalise on this “special economic zone”.

To boost infrastructure and therefore earnings, Mzembi plans to create modern entertainment spaces on 300ha adjacent to the Victoria Falls airport.

Source: Victoria Falls to Remain Natural and Untouched (09/01/15)

Zimbabwe to sell excess elephants

Zimbabwe will be selling off excess elephants to interested countries as it moves to protect biodiversity and minimise human-wildlife conflicts.

The country has excess elephants estimated at around 30 000 and selling the animals to other countries would significantly help the country reduce the numbers to manageable levels.

National Parks and Wildlife Authority Director General, Mr Edison Chidziya said they are facing conservation challenges due to the excess elephants, adding that it is increasingly becoming difficult to monitor and supply the large herd with sufficient water during the dry season.

"We have to remain with a manageable herd and we are facing challenges that cannot allow that at the moment," said Mr Chadziya.

Environment, Water and Climate Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Anastacia Ndhlovu said selling the live elephants will enable the wildlife authority to raise enough funds to protect the jumbos and other wildlife.

The country has excess elephants estimated at around 30 000 and selling the animals to other countries would significantly help the country reduce the numbers to manageable levels.

National Parks and Wildlife Authority Director General, Mr Edison Chidziya said they are facing conservation challenges due to the excess elephants, adding that it is increasingly becoming difficult to monitor and supply the large herd with sufficient water during the dry season.

"We have to remain with a manageable herd and we are facing challenges that cannot allow that at the moment," said Mr Chadziya.

Environment, Water and Climate Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Anastacia Ndhlovu said selling the live elephants will enable the wildlife authority to raise enough funds to protect the jumbos and other wildlife.

"The funds will capacitate the authority," she said.

Source: Zimbabwe to sell excess elephants (5/1/15)

Majestic Victoria Falls: 'Zimbabwe's goldmine' draws back thrill-seekers [CNN]

Spray from Victoria Falls hits the faces of tourists and locals as they look down at Africa's most famous waterfall. The water acts as a wake-up call, but this spectacular sight is no dream.

Located on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia, tourists from all over the world arrive to witness the natural wonder. In 2013 alone, over 1.8 million people came to Zimbabwe on holiday according to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

That number may sound impressive, but tourism authorities say 2014 will be an even stronger year for the industry. "Zimbabwe is pumping when it comes to tourism," says Barbara Murasiranwa from Zimbabwe's Tourism Council. "We've picked up, gotten back to... where we were in 1999, and we are even surpassing the figures for 1999."

Murasiranwa has good reason to be optimistic -- the World Travel & Tourism Council expects tourism to make more money for the country in 2014 than any other year in the past decade.

And recent figures also show hotels at Victoria Falls are enjoying solid business -- occupancy rates in the area reached 77.6% in August, up from 62.6% in the same period in 2013.

Troubled past

But the tourism industry has been through tough times after its heyday in the 1990s.

"It was the land invasions and the violence and the bad publicity that the country received," says Trevor Lane of the organization Friends of Victoria Falls, explaining the industry's slump. "[Zimbabwe] was perceived as a high risk country after that and tourism virtually stopped overnight."

Shortly after the world welcomed in a new millennium, more than 2,000 white owned farms, of five million hectares, were targeted by the government for resettlement. While authorities insisted the program was sustainable, some white farmers were subject to violence, and lost their property to emboldened groups of black Zimbabweans.

Economic meltdown

Since then, members of the international community -- including the U.S. Treasury -- has imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe and his inner circle.

The chronic economic mismanagement that followed saw a period of hyper-inflation, and citizens at some point had to pay 300 billion Zimbabwean dollars for a loaf of bread.

According to the World Bank, "Zimbabwe is in debt distress as total external debt at the end of 2012 remains high at 70% of GDP."

And these economic hardships hit the tourism sector hard. While over 2.2 million tourists arrived in 1999, by 2005 that number was 1.5 million. The industry has seen a shaky recovery since then, but the hard times are still fresh in the minds of hotel owners and tour operators.

"Tourism shrank massively," says Lane. "A lot of people obviously folded, left town...the rest of us just managed to survive....until [the] revival started again a couple of years ago."

Improving infrastructure

In a move to ensure the troubled days don't return, Zimbabwean Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Walter Mzembi, has announced a $150 million plan to expand the airport at Victoria Falls.

The project, which will be financed with a loan from China EXIM Bank, is boosting confidence amongst local business owners.

"Currently, the...short runway limits us as to the number of people that can come in on a flight," explains Jonathan Hudson, the manager of Safari Lodge -- one of the biggest hotels in Victoria Falls. "The new 4 km (2.5 miles) runway, the new terminal, which will be able to hold up to five wide bodied aircraft, new carousels, increased immigration offices, is going to make a huge difference to us...With this we can increase the number of seats coming into Zimbabwe on a daily basis."

Looking ahead

But, as U.N. data shows tourist numbers worldwide grew by 5% in the first eight months of 2014, renewed confidence in the Victoria Falls region is palpable.

"I think Vic Falls is on a goldmine," says Karen Dewhurst from the cruise company Zambezi Explorer. "It's a beautiful location, and people are beginning to hear about it, and with Zimbabwe being much safer...it'll definitely pick up."

Trevor Lane from Friends of Victoria Falls, is also optimistic. "I think the future looks good. I think what we got to be careful of is that we don't sort of over capitalize...We don't want to make it into another Niagara Falls where it's over commercialized. But I do think that the future here is very bright."

 Source: Majestic Victoria Falls: 'Zimbabwe's goldmine' draws back thrill-seekers [CNN] (03/01/16)

$460m Disneyland Vic Falls investor found

TOURISM and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi says government is in negotiations for a $460 million facility for the development of a ‘Disneyland in Africa’.

The project involves the establishment of a tourism and conference theme park in the resort town of Victoria Falls seen as crucial to boosting tourism. It would be built on 300 hectares of land near the airport and have shopping malls, banks and exhibition and entertainment facilities such as casinos.

“There is a lot of international interest and (an investor in the) United States is willing to pour $460 million for the project but we have to develop a template on a win-win situation,” Mzembi told journalists in Victoria Falls recently.

“Most international countries are saying ‘give us land and we will develop it’.”

The theme park would also boost the resort town’s capacity to host major conferences and events to rival South Africa’s Cape Town and Durban, he said.

“My vision is to zone the 300ha where we can have an Egyptian city or Russian city within the park,” said Mzembi.

In 2013, the government started refurbishing the Victoria Falls International Airport at a cost of $150 million to increase its passenger handling capacity which is expected to be commissioned later this year.

The expansion work, which is being carried out by China Jiangsu and funded by China Exim Bank, also includes upgrading the domestic terminal building, constructing a new fire station, control tower and installation of state –of–the art aviation equipment.

Source: $460m Disneyland Vic Falls investor found (3/1/15)

More: African 'Disneyland' still planned for Victoria Falls (22/6/14)

   Zimbabwe To Convert Victoria Falls Into Garden of Eden (3/9/13)
   Zimbabwe's 'Disneyland' plans 'inappropriate' (28/8/13)
   Victoria Falls 'Disneyland' on the cards (22/6/13)

Govt in talks to raise funding for ‘Disneyland in Africa’

Zimbabwe Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi says the government is in negotiations for a $460 million facility for the development of a ‘Disneyland in Africa’.

The project involves the establishment of a tourism and conference theme park in the resort town of Victoria Falls seen as crucial to boosting tourism. It would be built on 300 hectares of land near the airport and have shopping malls, banks and exhibition and entertainment facilities such as casinos.

“There is a lot of international interest and (an investor in the) United States is willing to pour $460 million for the project but we have to develop a template on a win-win situation,” Mzembi told journalists in Victoria Falls recently.

“Most international countries are saying ‘give us land and we will develop it’.”

The theme park would also boost the resort town’s capacity to host major conferences and events to rival South Africa’s Cape Town and Durban, he said.

“My vision is to zone the 300ha where we can have an Egyptian city or Russian city within the park,” said Mzembi.

In 2013, the government started refurbishing the Victoria Falls International Airport at a cost of $150 million to increase its passenger handling capacity which is expected to be commissioned later this year.

The expansion work, which is being carried out by China Jiangsu and funded by China Exim Bank, also includes upgrading the domestic terminal building, constructing a new fire station, control tower and installation of state –of–the art aviation equipment.

Source: Govt in talks to raise funding for ‘Disneyland in Africa’, Mzembi (03/01/15)