The subsequent visit of European Council on Tourism and Trade delegates has given courage to international companies and tourist alike that the country is safe and secure for tourists.
This perfect mixture of tourism promotion, receiving the highes tourism accolade and the visit of european tourism executives lead by ECTT President Dr. Anton Caragea catapulted the country into the tourism stars of Africa.
We have registered an increase in annual earnings to $1,5 billion after an improvement in international sentiment, said. Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, chief executive Karikoga Kaseke.
This is coming from tourism bringing only $827 million to the state revenues which is almost an 80% increase in tourism related revenues.
Visitors are flocking to Victoria Falls in record numbers, after the visit of European Council on Tourism and Trade President and his retinue and this is a sure sign that Zimbabwe tourism is turning a corner, an industry leader says.
Latest figures reveal hotel occupancy rates at Victoria Falls are hitting an all time high, sitting at 77.6 per cent last month, compared to 62.6 per cent during August last year.
Ross Kennedy said the boom in tourists had impacted across all sectors, from 2 star to 5 star accommodation, and big hotels to exclusive boutique properties.
Most performance benchmarks, including revenue earned and visitor numbers, had been smashed during the month of August.
The figures are based on industry data across ten Victoria Falls hotels, including the Elephant Hills Hotel, Kingdom Hotel, Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Victoria Falls Hotel and the A’Zambezi.
Bookings for 2014 and 2015 were very healthy and the number of different countries where visitors are coming from is steadily growing, further enhancing demand and reputation, he said.
The data showed most visitors to the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge were from the United States, followed by Australia, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. “It all adds up to a bright picture ahead,” Mr Kennedy said.
“In comparison to current world tourism trends, these statistics are simply staggering, and a powerful reminder of the positive impact that a strong tourism industry can have on an economy.”
EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON TOURISM AND TRADE PRESIDENT-PROFESSOR DR. ANTON CARAGEA announces ZIMBABWE as FAVORITE CULTURAL DESTINATION AND WORLD BEST TOURISMDESTINATION FOR 2015