Tourism trade fair in Zimbabwe

Spring and it's Jacaranda season in Harare

Travellers who say they do not want to visit Zimbabwe because their dollars will swell Mugabe's coffers are actually contributing to the detriment of the environment, many of Zimbabwe's tourism providers believe.
"The environment cannot wait for political change. By the time that is achieved much of our pristine wildlife reserves will be gone and once gone it will be forever," said Clive Stockil, member of the board of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
"We need you - those dollars go into conservation. We have got too much in this country that puts us ahead of our competitors in the rest of Africa for us to ignore and not keep focusing our natural attributes."
 Speaking at the 2011 Sanganai/Hlanganani travel and tourism fair held in the Harare capital mid-October, Stockil said: "I genuinely believe that it just takes a few minor changes in terms of governments and global perceptions for this country to get back to being among the prime African destinations."
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority's (ZTA) annual tourism fair held at the Harare International Conference Centre situated at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, formerly Sheraton Hotel, attracted 746 exhibitors sharing 206 stands, according to Tesa Chikaponya, ZTA executive director destinations marketing.

Ivory in a National Parks strongroom

Leonard Nhidza, head of investigations for the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management, says that in terms of visitor numbers this year has so far seen an improvement but was still below the numbers of the 1990s.
National Parks' director general Vitalis Chadenga appealed to the international media to apply pressure on the world community to lift the ban on the sale of ivory. "We have 44 tons of elephant ivory and five tons of rhino horn in stock of which we are not allowed to sell: this creates a problem for us."
The parastatal has suffered from lack of funds for years, and wants to be allowed to plough the proceeds of the sale of the stock - which comes from animals that have died naturally he says - back into conservation.

Vitalis Chadenga speaks to the press

Around US$100 million was needed to manage all their resources. "We are only managing to raise only 25% of that," said Chadenga. "Poaching is very severe and we need to work very closely with other law enforcement agencies."
Positive changes are apparent, the most recent being Zimbabwe and Zambia winning the bid to jointly host the 20th General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2013 at the Victoria Falls.
She welcomed the arrival of airlines to Zimbabwe including Emirates Airline, due to start operating from Dubai via Lusaka to Harare from February 1st next year. SAA had also increased the size of the airplane operating every Thursday from Johannesburg to Harare.
"This is the first time the UNWTO has had a bid from countries that want to co-host," said Chikaponya. "The nation is excited and rearing to go."

Original article

https://www.eturbonews.com/50470/change-global-perceptions-and-visit-zimbabwe