THE Victoria Falls tourism industry is set to be the biggest beneficiary of the resort area’s city status amid calls for players in the sector to benchmark their services with other popular tourism cities across the globe.
Tourism players in Victoria Falls have started positioning themselves to maximise on the benefits set to be accrued from the elevation of the resort area to a city.
There is optimism that the new status will boost the image, promote increased investments and tourist traffic.
Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Victoria Falls Chairperson, Anald Musonza said the new status presents opportunities for twinning arrangements with other renowned tourism destinations.
“We are excited and this is historic for us as an industry. As the tourism capital of Southern Africa, which we believe we are, obviously this gives us the opportunity to start the twinning arrangements with all the major tourism destinations across the globe so that this destination is put on the world map,” said Musonza.
Environment, Climate Change , Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Honourable Mangaliso Ndlovu challenged tourism players in the resort city to upgrade their services and facilities to match the new status.
“Speaking on behalf of the tourism fraternity, may l say this development is much appreciated as tourism is the biggest winner. Victoria Falls City has joined the tourism cities around the world with its unique character of being surrounded by nature and wildlife,” he said.
With so much attention being placed on transforming the tourism destination into a world-class smart city, stakeholders have been reminded to maintain the pristine character of the resort city, natural ambience and strive to uphold environmental stewardship.
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