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ENVIRONMENT, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Nqobizitha Ndhlovu has launched the Kariba Regional Development and Marketing Strategy.
It is aimed at sustaining tourism for economic growth, creating jobs and benefitting livelihoods.
“I am happy with the finalisation of this strategy and in my view the strategy, if effectively implemented, will be a game changer in repositioning and transforming the Kariba region into a must-visit and competitive destination as measured by increased arrivals, tourism expenditure, average room occupancies and length of stay.
“To ensure that this does not just become a document to be shelved and gather dust, there is a need to put in place a Monitoring and Evaluation Framework Committee to regularly track progress on the implementation and keep everyone informed as spelt in the strategy.
“Be assured, I shall keep my thumb on this matter.
“Over time the region and Kariba in particular, has been a favourable destination for both domestic, regional and international tourists.
“It may be recalled that in the early 2000s, visitors would throng Kariba in their thousands to enjoy the heat, game viewing, casino, tiger tournament, fishing, spending nights in house boats as well as experiencing its rich historical and cultural heritage.
“However, this market segment literally has sunk into oblivion due to a number of factors,” he said.
He said Kariba is a powerful tourism magnet that deserves an international airport with the capacity to handle direct international flights.
“I am aware of the state of the road from Harare to Kariba, as well as the suspension of flights by KUVA Air which is a setback as far as accessibility of destination Kariba is concerned.
“The good news is that both Air Zimbabwe and Fastjet have plans to service Kariba.
“Fastjet has since announced that its operations into Kariba will commence in March.
“We will work tirelessly to ensure the issue of destination accessibility is sorted once and for all.
“We are engaging with the view to have among other access priorities, the road link, especially between Makuti and Kariba, rehabilitated.
“We will also continue advocating for more airlines to fly into the destination,” said Minister Ndhlovu.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter