Members of the trade have expressed their concern over the planned development at Victoria Falls as they believe it will detract from the Falls’ natural beauty, wildlife and scenery, which tourists come to Africa to experience.
Onne Vegter, MD and Co-founder of Wild Wings Safaris, said he was not against the project but rather saw it as a failure to understand what tourists want and expect when visiting Vic Falls. He said there were many theme parks and Disney-type venues all around the world and that tourists did not visit Africa for that. “Don't waste money on a huge white elephant that destroys the character of Vic Falls.”
Natalie Jade Smith, an inbound safari specialist, agrees with Vegter and says people of all ages visit the Falls to see the raw, natural beauty and diverse wildlife.
Zimbabwe’s Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi, said last week that the planned development would integrate a tourism resort into Victoria Falls, which would position the area as a tourism hub for the SADC region and would develop the world’s first ever “eco-Disneyland”. He also suggested that the destination needed to do more to attract young travellers.
However, Vegter said there were many adventure attractions for young travellers, including white-water rafting, river boarding, bungee jumping, zip lining, giant gorge swings, canoeing on the Zambezi and elephant-back safaris. “You won't attract more young people by building a theme park. Tourists will be driven away if it becomes a Disney circus with a 10 000-delegate conference venue.”
