from ESTHER SHAVI in Kariba, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
LARIBA, (CAJ News) – THE finalisation of the Kariba Regional Tourism Development and Marketing Strategy is anticipated to reposition and transform Kariba into a must visit and competitive destination.
However, the media have been encouraged to play a part in attaining this target.
Wengai Nhau, the Tourism Business Council chairperson, bemoaned low media coverage of the industry by the mainstream media.
“To the fourth estate, we need these stories out but sometimes, we see you cover other sectors and you don’t cover us, we also exist,” he said during the recent launch of the Kariba Regional Tourism Development and Marketing Strategy.
“We are one of the four pillars of the economy. So we also request fair coverage so that our community, citizens and the whole nation know tourism is in existence,” Nhau said.
He pointed out tourism is the main economic activity in this region in northern Zimbabwe, creating jobs and sustaining livelihoods for many households.
“We therefore need to support the tourism sector in the region to not only realise its full potential, but to also grow through the diversification of tourism products,” Nhau appealed.
The newly-launched strategy aims to increase arrivals, tourism expenditure, average room occupancies and length of stay in Kariba.
The region has not been spared the decline in the tourism sector during Zimbabwe’s economic challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tourism peaked in the early 2000s.
Lake Kariba is the world’s largest manmade lake.
It is owned and operated by the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA), a joint initiative by neighbouring countries Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Other attractions are the over 128-metre high Kariba Dam wall.
The area also teems with crocodile farms.
– CAJ News