Cabinet taskforce on Vic Falls upgrade leaving no stone unturned

nal Airport and US$350 million to build two hotels and conference facilities.
The international tourism showcase will be co-hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia in August next year in Victoria Falls and Livingstone respectively and is expected to bring together over 3 000 delegates.
Secretary for Tourism and Hospitality Industry Dr Sylvester Maunganidze said the interministerial committee led by Vice President Joice Mujuru was already at work.
Dr Maunganidze said this on the sidelines of the International Carnival of Victoria being held here under the theme: “The Melting Pot of Culture”.
Dr Maunganidze said the ministerial committee that consisted of 20 key ministries had been split into three committees — Resource mobilisation, Infrastructure, and Marketing.
“The resource mobilisation committee has gone round the world and I am happy to announce that we have good responses.
“A place to build two hotels and a convention centre has been surveyed and a ground-breaking ceremony is going to be held soon.
“Resources for the airport (Victoria Falls International Airport) are forthcoming. We want US$150 million for the upgrading of the reception area, the control tower, the VIP lounge and we want the runway to be 4,2km long.
“For the construction of the two additional hotels and a conversion centre, we want to mobilise US$350 million.
“We have contractors on the ground and everything being equal, by Christmas there will be massive developments in Victoria Falls,” he said.
The developments are being done in liaison with the co-host, Zambia.
“Every month we meet and there is too much determination from the two countries,” he said.
Dr Maunganidze said starting this month, another critical committee on media led by the Secretary for Media, Information and Publicity Mr George Charamba  was  going  to  be  activated.
He said this committee was very critical and responsible for co-ordinating all media activities of the interested organisations before and during the event.
“The UNWTO is followed by so many media organisations . . . there will be media workshops and seminars that will have too much following. In respect of this, we have so many media plans,” he said.
The Minister of State in the Office of Vice President Joice  Mujuru’s office, Sylvester Nguni, said some of the major developments at Victoria Falls would be the construction of accommodation facilities for the VIP.
“We are expecting over 3000 delegates and we are going to see the construction of villas that are going to accommodate Presidents . . .Victoria Falls is under massive expansion. Tourism will be a huge economic boaster in the country,” he said.
Commenting on countries that were marketing the Victoria Falls as their product, Minister Nguni said they were taking of a vaccum created to maximise on business.
“Once we start working hard in marketing our destination, the world will soon know that the Victoria Falls is not in another country, but Zimbabwe and Zambia.
“Some of the people already know that.
“We should double our effort to market these areas as a group,” he said.