Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe’s tourism capital, is now operating close to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, with growth being driven by improved global sentiment and efforts to fights the virus.
A survey conducted by a tourism promotion group, We are Victoria Falls, showed that 74% of global booking agents were projecting inbound traffic to grow.
This was short of 85% registered in 2019, before COVID–19 ravaged the industry.
It was however greater than 50% positive global sentiment recorded in 2020.
“Confidence in booking destination Victoria Falls has risen to 74% in 2021, according to the annual Future Traveller Sentiment Survey for 2021,” reads the survey.
“This figure compares to 85% during the pre-pandemic year of 2019, and the slump of just 50% in 2020.
“Seventy-three percent of respondents to the survey believe it is now safe to travel to Victoria Falls and that robust rules on entry, pricing awareness, the flexibility of terms and conditions and ease of access, including direct flights are key priority areas to accelerate recovery of tourism to the destination.”
International agents surveyed said future travellers to Victoria Falls will be motivated by nature and travel in smaller groups.
Travellers, the survey shows, will be mainly older couples, multi-gen families and families with older children.
“Compared to the previous survey, agents predict growing preference for boutique hotels over safari-camps, and a move away from branded properties,” reads the report.
The report further stated that the newly-formed air access development committee has facilitated four new routes or frequencies to Victoria Falls in the last few months, including Lufthansa’s Eurowings Discover with its inaugural flight from Frankfurt touching down on 30 March 2022.
