The Sunday Mail
While Zimbabwe recorded a nine percent increase in tourist arrivals in 2015, stakeholders in the hospitality sector say the beautiful and scenic Nyanga has not benefitted much from the arrivals.
According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, arrivals were up to 930 276 from 876 163 in the first half of 2015, with the increase mostly driven by a rise in visitors from mainland Africa.Over the years, tourists visited Nyanga in droves to partake in such activities as hiking, mountain climbing, kayaking and viewing wonders like waterfalls, Mount Nyangani and the Ziwa ruins, among other places.
Although the actual number of tourists that visited Nyanga this year could not be ascertained, hospitality industry sources maintained that the number had fallen.
A recent visit to Nyanga by The Sunday Mail Extra showed activities linked to tourism are at what local hospitality industry officials called “an all-time low”.
Nyamhuka Artefact Village, which used to be a hive of activity, was practically deserted with overgrown grass being the most prominent feature.
Mr Alfred Saunyama, one of the few people selling their wares, said he last served a customer “a long time ago”.
“The tourists are just not coming. In the past, business was brisk. I am here because I have nothing else to do,” Mr Saunyama said.
As a result of low arrivals, two of Nyanga’s most prominent hotels no longer offer casino services, and occupancy rates across establishments are low.
Mr Zefania Jaravaza, the Nyanga Rural District Council CEO, attributed the low tourist arrivals to a number of factors, chief among them the “bad” publicity emanating from the mysterious disappearances of tourists on Mt Nyangani.
“In the past few years, we have had several tourists disappearing without trace in the Nyangani Mountain, earning us bad publicity in the process. As a result of the publicity, tourists are shying away from Nyanga,” Mr Jaravaza said.
Last year, a British tourist recounted to the world how he wandered for days in the mountain, further tarnishing the image of this prime tourist destination.
Mr Jaravaza also attributed the low arrivals to the unavailability of air transport to link Nyanga with other parts of Zimbabwe.The urban settlement has three aerodromes, all of which are not functional.“We might want to blame the low tourist activities to disappearances at Mount Nyangani but our road network is equally to blame.
The road is in such a bad state that tourists are discouraged from visiting,” added Mr Jaravaza.
The absence of an air service means tourists from major markets have to drive from Harare, Beitbridge and Victoria Falls, the country’s major entry ports.
Research shows that 81 percent of Chinese arrivals entered Zimbabwe through Harare International Airport, followed by Victoria Falls with five percent.
According to the ZTA, most tourist arrivals come through Beitbridge (71 percent) and Harare International Airport (12 percent).
Nyanga has many tourist attractions, among them Rhodes Hotel, the Pungwe and Mtarazi falls and the Nyangwe pit villages, among other attractions.
Gaerezi River is a favourite place for those into kayaking.
Tourist arrivals are, however, not only low in Nyanga.
Mr Karikoga Kaseke, the ZTA chief executive officer, said the country as a whole was not doing very well in major source markets, adding that there was poor destination accessibility.
Addressing delegates at the 2016 Tourisn Convention in Victoria Falls, Mr Kaseke said there was often poor quality and a lack of diversity in the tourism sector.
“Zimbabwe has become a very expensive destination vis-a vis our competitors in the region. There is very poor service in the tourism industry and personnel lacks passion in serving customers, a major key success in the tourism business,” Mr Kaseke said.
