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In an interview over the weekend, Shearwater Adventures group public relations manager Mr Clement Mukwasi said the helicopter shuttles would cut the travelling time between the two co-hosting towns by 20 minutes.
He said besides reducing time, the shuttle helicopters provided an opportunity for guests to view the mighty Victoria Falls rainforest from the air.
“To spice up the UNWTO general assembly, we will be offering helicopter shuttles between Victoria Falls and Livingstone. We will be flying between Sun International across in
Zambia and Elephant Hills resort helipad.
“This is going to be a unique product which has never been offered before. It will be specific to the concerns of the general assembly,” he said.
Mr Mukwasi noted that since there would not be any need for customs and excise formalities for the general assembly delegates shuttling between the two countries, there would also be no entrance point barriers.
“During the duration of the general assembly, there won’t be any barriers for accredited delegates and plans are under way by relevant authorities to scrap entry visas meaning that delegates need to show their accreditation so that they can exit or enter the country at the helipad.”
He said the flight from the Elephant Hills helipad to Sun International hotel lasted only three minutes.
“By road delegates can spend up to 30 minutes between Victoria Falls and Livingstone but by helicopter they will only spend three minutes which is an advantage as it cuts on time spent on shuttling. The Zimbabwe side has three helicopters while the Zambian side has five helicopters which will all be available for the shuttle services,” said Mr Mukwasi.
Meanwhile, Matabeleland North Province youths are insisting that Government should ensure that they are given first priority in employment opportunities that will arise before and during the general assembly.
The province’s Youth Empowerment finance chairperson, Mr Ishmael Mukanyira, said Government should prioritise the youths when recruiting labour or awarding tenders as part of the efforts to fulfill the objective of the indigenisation and economic empowerment objective.
“We know there will be many projects coming up for instance the refurbishment of Victoria Falls Hospital and local hotels. We want people who will have won the tenders to give
first preference to youths so that we curtail the issue of unemployment in the province,” he said.
Cde Misheck Nduna of Victoria Falls Youths Forum said it was unfortunate that many tenders were given to people from outside the region denying locals opportunities for growth.
“As youths we only see projects when they are already under way with people already employed.”
The general assembly preparations will unveil numerous employment opportunities through the various projects that include the refurbishment of Victoria Falls Hospital and rehabilitation of roads.
Online Reporter