A plan by Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu PF party to rename Victoria Falls as part of a bid to replace colonial names with indigenous ones has had mixed reactions from the travel trade.
According to The Africa Report, the party said Victoria Falls would be renamed Mosi-Oa-Tunya, which translates as ‘the Smoke that Thunders’.
Both Brent Williamson, MD at Adventure Lodge Victoria Falls, and Rudie Prinsloo, Owner of Felleng Tours & Safaris, bemoaned the potential cost of changing the name and remarketing the attraction after the name change. These included the costs of branding and advertising materials as well as website domains.
Williamson pointed out that Zimbabwe was recovering from a tourism recession and argued that the name change would hamper this recovery.
Trish Mambinge, Shearwater Victoria Falls GM, said while the name change would require the rebranding of signage in the area, she did not foresee an effect on tourism as the Mosi-Oa-Tunya name was not new.
Bruno Van Den Bossche, Marketing Manager at Inspiration Zimbabwe, also suggested that there was some knowledge of the indigenous name. He said many businesses had been linking the names, bringing to the forefront the original name that the Batonga people used before the existence of the Falls was reported by David Livingstone.
“We are fortunate in that in all our point-of-sale materials, maps and any historical presentations, Victoria Falls has always been referred to as Mosi-Oa-Tunya,”Mambinge said.
However, Williamson said most international clients were not aware of the indigenous name and only found out about it when they visited the destination.
Williamson said that while he appreciated the significance of changing the name, it should have been done at lndependence along with all the other town and city name changes. “To do so now when the destination has worldwide recognition, not only as one of the seven wonders but as an awesome adventure destination for travellers, is going to cause more confusion than necessary,” he said.
