Vusumuzi Dube
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Reporter
As the dust settles on the festive season, Victoria Falls’ tourism sector is looking ahead with renewed optimism, pinning its hopes for a strong domestic and regional rebound in 2026 on the imminent completion of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Highway.
Traditionally, December marks a period of lower international tourist arrivals for Victoria Falls, a seasonal dip that has always been balanced by a surge in domestic and regional visitors.
However, this past holiday season bucked the trend, with key stakeholders reporting notably subdued numbers, a downturn largely attributed to the ongoing, extensive rehabilitation of the major access road.
The Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Victoria Falls Chapter chairperson, Mrs Patience Musonza, confirmed the decline but expressed solid hope for next season’s spoils.
“This year’s numbers were not as good as in previous years; we were not getting booked as much as we normally would be, compared to last year. It was not very high traffic.
“Some places did receive good occupancies, whilst others had very low occupancies,” she said.
Mrs Musonza directly linked the challenge to accessibility constraints.
“Obviously, I think the downturn was in accessibility. As you know, at the end of the year, most of our residents will travel by road.
“They travel in families, and so, them having to fly through was going to be a very high cost,” she said.
Mrs Musonza noted a shift in the market, with budget-conscious local travellers favouring Airbnb and guest house accommodation over hotels.
The sentiment was echoed by Mr Charles Chakanya, owner of Kalai Safari and chairman of the Boat Cruise Association.
“This year’s December holidays, we had traffic coming in, but not as expected. The biggest challenge that we realised from the people who travelled was the issue pertaining to the road,” he said.
Mr Chakanya revealed that some clients diverted to alternative destinations like Matopos, estimating the season saw only about 70 percent of the expected peak traffic, with last-minute cancellations due to road concerns.
Despite the current challenges, the prevailing mood within the industry is one of anticipation.
Stakeholders are confident that the completed highway will unlock significant potential.
“So, we are grateful that at least the road is being rehabilitated and I am sure by this year, we will have booming numbers,” said Mrs Musonza.
This forward-looking perspective has found support at the ministerial level. Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Barbara Rwodzi, while acknowledging the temporary hardship caused by the construction, has appealed for patience.
She assured tour operators and hospitality players that the rehabilitation is a necessary investment for long-term growth and confidently projected a substantial increase in visitor numbers for 2026.
As the heavy machinery continues its work on the vital artery connecting Bulawayo to the Victoria Falls, the tourism sector here is preparing for a smoother, busier road ahead.
The completion of the highway is now seen not just as an infrastructure project, but as the key driver for reclaiming and expanding the crucial domestic and regional market, setting the stage for a more prosperous 2026.
Contractors working on upgrading the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway have made assurances to the Government and stakeholders that they are firmly on track to complete the rehabilitation works of the 440km strategic highway by next year.The massive project — segmented into eight sections — has been awarded to local contractors that include Fossil Construction, Masimba Construction, Syvern Engineering, Bitumen Resources, Asphalt Construction and Bitumen World.
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