Staff Reporter

The International Financial Cooperation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has partnered the Government to expand air access to Victoria Falls town as a way of supporting the recovery of local tourism that had been negatively affected by the Covid 19 pandemic.

The partnership is part of a broader, multi-year tourism program between IFC and Zimbabwe called the Zimbabwe Destination Development Program (ZDDP) designed to revitalize and increase the competitiveness of the country's tourism industry.

In a statement yesterday, IFC announced that its partnership with the Government would fast track recovery of the tourism sector and create employment for many people in the country.

“A partnership announced today (yesterday) between IFC and the Government of Zimbabwe will support recovery and creation of jobs in Zimbabwe’s tourism sector by helping increase air access to Victoria Falls, one of Africa’s premier tourist destinations. Under the partnership, IFC will help Zimbabwe and the private sector to attract more airlines and flights to Victoria Falls, increasing access for visitors from Africa and around the world as COVID-19 travel restrictions ease,” said IFC in a statement.

The IFC said that it’s important to expand air access to Victoria Falls because the town is Zimbabwe’s main tourism hub and supports around 25 000 direct jobs.

IFC’s Country Manager for Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, Adamou Labara, added that Victoria Falls is poised to become a competitive tourism destination in the region.

 “With the right support, Victoria Falls can become a truly competitive tourism entry point for the region. Establishing this position in the market will help drive tourism through Zimbabwe and support recovery and jobs,” said Labara.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Engineer Theodius Chinyanga said the expansion of air access into Victoria Falls was important as it would drive recovery of the tourism sector. He added that a strategic air service development effort would ensure recovery of the tourism sector from the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and ensure longer-term growth for Victoria Falls as a regional hub.

Travel restrictions imposed by Governments because of the COVID-19 pandemic had collapsed global tourism and forced businesses in Victoria Falls to retrench thousands of employees.

 However, the Government has since prioritised vaccinating residents of Victoria Falls and the town has since achieved herd immunity, a milestone that is likely to benefit the tourism sector as the town is now in a privileged position for re-attracting airlines, tourists, and revenues.