dyton mupawaenda
The Herald November 21, 1980
AIR Zimbabwe is to cut back on its services from Salisbury to the Midlands and the Lowveld, according to a statement released yesterday.
There had been a significant decline in passenger traffic, the statement said. Starting on November 26, the Wednesday morning and evening return flights from Salisbury to Gwelo would be withdrawn.
“The day return flight from Salisbury to Gwelo on Wednesday will be kept by routing the Salisbury to Fort Victoria/Buffalo Range service via Gwelo,” the statement said.
“The schedule will continue to provide a connection to Air Zimbabwe’s London service.”
Other services to be withdrawn were those on Wednesdays and Fridays between Buffalo Range and Bulawayo, and from December 6 the Salisbury, Gwelo, and Fort Victoria service on Saturdays would also be withdrawn.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Accessibility is a key aspect in promoting tourism because the more accessible a destination is the more attractive it is to tourists.
Zimbabwe is endowed with a lot of tourist destinations such as the majestic Victoria Falls and the Great Zimbabwe. Most of these are linked by roads and some by air.
While air travel presents the most efficient and quickest way to getting around, as such it is important for the country to increase internal travel by air through the rehabilitations of airports around the country.
The establishment of an airstrip in Binga has boosted tourism in the area, which can also happen if such services are re-introduced in areas like Masvingo and Mutare.
The major handicap in the re-introduction of air services to some parts of the company has been the sizes of the airports available vis-à-vis the wide-bodied aircraft available. This issue can be resolved if Air Zimbabwe buys or leases smaller planes to service domestic routes with smaller players.
Online Reporter