The poor state of roads linking Victoria Falls to other parts of the country is undermining the ease of doing business and threatening the competitiveness of the country’s tourism industry, industry players have warned.
Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe chief executive officer Christopher Sithole said the high cost of operations, coupled with poor connectivity, was making it increasingly difficult for tourism businesses to remain competitive.
Sithole said while the government had taken measures to reduce some levies and other costs, poor road infrastructure remained a major obstacle to tourism growth.
“So we are in serious trouble with the cost of operations,” Sithole said.
He said Zimbabwe needed to improve connectivity if it was to fully exploit its tourism potential, particularly in key destinations such as Victoria Falls.
“We are thankful of the government having done that, but the elephant in the room is the cost of flying into Zimbabwe and when tourists get into Zimbabwe, how easy is it to travel from Harare to Victoria Falls, from Harare to the Eastern Highlands. This is where the challenge is,” Sithole said.
He said the condition of roads was discouraging tourists from travelling between major destinations.
“No international traveller is comfortable driving from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls,” Sithole said.
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“That is a huge cost. Even our local tourists, our domestic tourists, are not comfortable travelling from Harare to Victoria Falls because of the state of our roads.”
Sithole noted that tourism investments required longer financing periods because of the lengthy asset cycle associated with the sector.
He said Zimbabwe had previously recorded more than 40 flights into the country, but current connectivity challenges were affecting access to major destinations.
The concerns come as authorities continue working on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road, a key transport link to one of Zimbabwe’s major tourism destinations.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Richard Moyo told Southern Eye Business the province was awaiting the release of government funds for the road project.
“We are waiting for the government to release funds for the construction of the road. We have been promised that the funds would be released this month in September,” Moyo said.
He said the focus had shifted from the initial completion target to ensuring construction works were eventually completed.
“We are now concerned about finishing the construction of the road rather than the target,” Moyo said.
Meanwhile, Sithole called for greater participation by local food producers in the tourism value chain, arguing hotels and other establishments should increase their use of locally produced goods.
Sithole cited milk production as an example of structural challenges facing local suppliers, saying Zimbabwe produces about 155 million litres annually against national requirements of more than 220 million litres.
According to Sithole, producing a litre of milk costs about US$0,60, while farmers sell it for between US$0,60 and US$0,70, leaving a narrow margin.
