Zimbabwe concerned about lack of SA tourists | IOL
The ZTA further said that the declining arrivals from South Africa call for “serious consideration in addressing facilitation issues” especially at Beitbridge Border Post.
Experts say Zimbabwe’s competitiveness as a prime destination is decreasing owing to police roadblocks, poor infrastructure such as roads and expensive US$ denominated prices. “There is also need to seriously look at upgrading roads especially the Harare Beitbridge highway,” ZTA said in its report.
Zimbabwe Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi last week criticized police road blocks in Zimbabwe, saying Zimbabwe was not a “conflict zone” hence the tourism industry wants to “ be policed decently so that we facilitate legitimate travel” into and out of the country.
Overall arrivals into Zimbabwe from mainland Africa registered 400 290 foreign tourist arrivals up from 380 790 in 2016. This represents a five percent increase.
Chinese arrivals into Zimbabwe have also been declining and this has led to the four percent decline in overall numbers for Asia which fell to 13 385. Arrivals from the Asian market declined by four percent from 14 004 to 13 385 in 2017. On the contrary, Asian arrivals into South Africa have been on the increase.
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Chinese visitors to South Africa surged to 21 137 during the first two months of the current year. In total, Asian visitors to the continent’s most industrialised economy rose to 52 319 over the January to February 2017 period. Domestic tourism in Zimbabwe has also taken a knock owing to mounting economic woes that have precipitated cash shortages in the economy.
Room occupancy levels for Harare, Beitbridge and Nyanga have been down by between two percent and seven percent although Vic Falls was two percent up.
“These substantial negative growths were as a result of reduced utilisation of double room occupancy by government, the corporate world and NGO’s to implement cost cutting measures purposes of viability. Declines were also a result of limited discretionary incomes in the domestic market,” said the ZTA.
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