Tug-of-war over Vic Falls tourists

are shared widely in this resort town on the edge of the mile-wide waterfall, where it is hard to remember that three years ago Zimbabwe was trapped in a seemingly endless spiral of hyperinflation.
Victoria Falls had become a ghost town as tourists opted for the resorts on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River, where the once sleepy town of Livingstone enjoyed a tourism boom as Zimbabwe faced problems precipated by Western-imposed sanctions and travel warnings.
“The Zambian side has definitively profited from all the problems in Zimbabwe,” said Sarah, who sells excursions for at the Zambezi Sun, part of a South African hotel chain that opened on the Zambian side in 2001.
Hotels, lodges and other tourist attractions have mushroomed over the past decade around Livingstone, which became so popular that it now boasts several daily direct flights to South Africa.
But a brand new curio market on the main road lies empty as tourists fly in and hop across the border.
“We are not happy, the situation is bad,” said the Livingstone Tourism Association. They come here for activities and they go to Zimbabwe for accommodation.”
Livingstone still runs a brisk trade in business travel by hosting conferences and corporate team-building workshops, but now faces stiff competition with Victoria Falls for leisure travellers.
Zimbabwe’s tourism earnings jumped 47 percent last year to US$770 million, as the number of visitors rose 15 percent to 2.3 million nationally, with Victoria Falls the country’s biggest attraction, according to the tourism ministry.
Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi hopes to grow that number to five billion dollars by 2015.
“However, this is on condition that the current peace and stability in the country prevails and the country is able to spin a more positive image of itself,” he told reporters last month.
Since Zimbabwe adopted the US dollar two years ago, prices are lower in Victoria Falls than in Livingstone, where entrance to the derelict Railway Museum costs US$15 for foreigners.
“It is cheaper here, and people can walk to the falls. They do not have to take a taxi or whatever,” said Duni, a Victoria Falls hawker offering sunset cruises, helicopter rides, rafting, bungee jumps and safaris to passers-by on the sidewalk.
While Victoria Falls sits at the river edge, Livingstone is 10 kilometres away, with a fleet of blue taxis shuttling visitors around for US$10 a pop.
Opinion is divided on which side offers the better view of the 108-metre high falls, though the Zimbabwean side has a greater variety of viewpoints.
Confident in its renaissance, Victoria Falls has asked for Chinese aid to expand its airport to accommodate bigger planes. – AFP.