CLEAR streets occasionally flooded by baboons and warthogs
now characterise the once busy Victoria Falls central business district which
has turned into a ghost town overnight.
When the outbreak of the novel coronavirus was first
confirmed in China in December 2019, the town was teeming with tourists.
Four months into another year, Victoria Falls is grounded
with no tourism activity and all hotels are closed.
While there is life in residential areas where people have
defied Government calls to stay at home, the CBD is completely deserted as
there are no tourists in town.
However, being the country’s prime destination and biggest
contributor to 2,29 million annual arrivals recorded in 2019, Victoria Falls’
situation is critical as the town’s economy is solely dependent on tourism.
About 90 percent of jobs in the town are supported by
tourism with the majority of the over 30 000 workforce relying on the sector.
Hotels closed on Tuesday after recording unprecedented zero
occupancies and are planning to open after three months despite the lockdown
ending in three weeks’ time.
Tour operators also suspended all activities with airlines
also cutting flights leaving the resort town with no visitors and source of
revenue.
Curio markets, curio shops, restaurants, hotels and the
Rainforest are some of the places that closed thereby grounding the whole town.
All activities ranging from helicopter flights, canoeing,
bungee jumping, gorge swing, white water rafting, game drives, to village tours
and tour of the Rainforest have all been suspended as there are no clients.
A day in the economy of Victoria Falls consists of a travel
agent who from anywhere in the world books a tourist with a hotel.
The next thing the tourist flies or drives through the
border and is welcomed by a local agent and taxi driver who take him or her to
a hotel.
At the hotel the tourist is served by a reservationist
before a porter leads him or her to a room and is served with food by a waiter.
There is a tour guide from an operator who is waiting to
accompany the tourist for a tour on different activities after which he or she
goes for shopping. The tourists also briefly stop at supermarkets to buy food
stuffs or occasionally go out for dinner at different eateries dotted around
town.
There is also a villager in surrounding communal areas
waiting to showcase African culture through traditional food and dance among
other things during village tours.
From airport to the hotel and eateries, there are
traditional dance groups waiting to entice visitors with their
well-choreographed traditional music and dance while all this is captured by a
video and photographer who follows every activity.
Illegal vendors who masquerade as agents are also not left
out as they chase after visitors selling old Bearers’ Cheques which tourists
love to buy for souvenirs.
Sadly, the whole value chain has been cut by Covid-19 and
people are grounded.
Mr Gilbert Tshuma, a curio vendor said: “We have never
heard about Victoria Falls being closed. Even this Sinathankawu market has
never been closed throughout the history of the town. This was our source of
income and we are left hopeless.”
Taxi drivers also literally have no one to transport in the
absence of tourists. A taxi driver Mr Kevin Muleya said they were in a fix.
“We carry both locals and tourists and it’s not a secret
that most of our revenue is from tourists who pay in foreign currency as
opposed to locals who pay in Zimdollar. We have parked our cars and waiting to
see if there will be life after this. Many of us were driving hired cars where
we pay owners every month and at the same time take care of our children hence
you can see how we have been affected,” he said.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority acting chief executive Mr
Givemore Chidzidzi said Victoria Falls just like any part of the country is
closed to any visitors.
“The current situation is what was desired in the face of
Covid-19, that no one travels so that there is no more transmission. Hotel
occupancy and entry into the Rainforest is zero and the facilities are closed
for periods extending beyond the lockdown. That was the whole idea of the
worldwide lockdown,” said Mr Chidzidzi.
He said this is the time for various authorities involved
in tourism to attend to issues that are usually not easy to address during busy
periods.
Mr Chidzidzi said the municipality and other stakeholders
can now rehabilitate roads, signage and other facilities.
Tourism executive Mr Clement Mukwasi concurred saying the
recession should be used to clean the city especially removing the deadly
lantana camara in the Victoria Falls National Park’s Rainforest.
Victoria Falls town clerk Mr Ronnie Dube however said no
maintenance work can be done around town because of the lockdown and resource
constraints.
“The town looks like a ghost town. It has never happened in
the history of Victoria Falls. Funny enough this has happened at a time when
the river has drastically increased in its flow but sadly there are no tourists
to witness this,” he said.
Hope is not lost though.
The thunderous sound of the mighty Victoria Falls is back
as water level has significantly risen on the Zambezi River giving hope a
rebound of the tourism sector after the Covid-19 threat has been dealt with.
Authorities have said as of Last Friday water levels in the
Zambezi River in Chavuma, Zambia has gone up 523 percent compared to its levels
during the same time last year, thereby increasing flows to the Falls.
Chronicle
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