Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve, Victoria Falls Reporter
ZIMBABWE is solidifying its reputation as a premier destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, with the ongoing 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands drawing massive attendance and fully booking Victoria Falls.
The bustling resort town has seen unprecedented demand for accommodation, with hotels and lodges operating at full capacity, forcing some delegates to seek lodging in private homes vetted by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA).
The surge in visitors cements Zimbabwe’s growing appeal as a global hub for major conferences and events.
Following the assumption of the SADC Chairmanship, the nation has proved it is worth hosting high-level SADC meetings.
In an exclusive interview on the sidelines of COP 15, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Barbara Rwodzi, expressed delight at the country’s rising profile in the MICE sector.
“It is indeed our thrust that we have been pushing this year to ensure that Zimbabwe is a destination of choice when it comes to conferencing, to conventions, and to gatherings of any nature,” Minister Rwodzi said.
“We are very happy about this Ramsar gathering. As you can see, it has brought a number of people into our country, bigger than most other Ramsar conventions in past years.
“It is amazing that we have a lot of people who have flown into the country. Our room capacity has exceeded, and people are even going into private homes where we have assessed, of course, with our team as ZTA, to ensure that they can accommodate every delegate,” she said.
The minister highlighted the critical role of infrastructure development in enhancing tourism, particularly the ongoing rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road.
“Definitely, accessibility to tourism is key, to Victoria Falls, to Hwange National Park, and other places along this road, be it coming from Beitbridge into Victoria Falls or Harare into Victoria Falls,” she said.
“The rehabilitation of the road from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls is great news to us, and of course, the finishing of it all the way to Beitbridge in the near future will be great. It is something that we are happy about, and our gratitude to the Government, to the President and his Cabinet, for okaying the Minister of Transport to prioritise this road so that accessibility to these facilities and ultimately to Victoria Falls is much easier, particularly for domestic tourism.”
The recent introduction of Fastjet flights between Bulawayo and Victoria Falls is another milestone expected to significantly boost tourism traffic. Minister Rwodzi emphasised the airline’s role in enhancing connectivity.
“As for the coming in of Fastjet, it means growth, particularly in domestic tourism, but as well as international tourism
“We have other tourists that we are pushing to come into Bulawayo, spend a night or two here, because Bulawayo is another destination for our country, and then going over to Victoria Falls,” she said.
She said that the new air route fills a critical gap in Zimbabwe’s transport network.
“There has not been an airline that has been coming from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls for a long time, and it is good news that now Fastjet is opening this route. A number of people are traveling between Victoria Falls and Bulawayo, and Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. You can fly into Bulawayo from Harare and then end up in Victoria Falls on the same flight,” she said.
With COP 15 setting a new benchmark for large-scale conferences in Zimbabwe, the country is poised to attract even more high-profile events.
