THE United Kingdom’s Foreign Office has issued a warning against “all but essential travel to Zimbabwe”. The office says this is on account on continuing tension surround the election and the deployment of uniformed forces and war veterans across the country. “In the absence of officially confirmed results of the presidential election there continues to be a high level of political tension and uncertainty. The current situation is unpredictable, volatile and could deteriorate quickly, without warning,” says the travel advisory.
British tourists currently in Zimbabwe are being advised to keep a low profile and are being told to avoid backpacking and travelling on public transport. They are also being asked to avoid visiting all high-density, low-income suburban areas and farming areas.
Despite this, the industry in the Victoria Falls has banded together in stating that the election process has been very quiet and peaceful in their region, with “almost no incidents to speak of,” says Ross Kennedy of the GoToVictoriaFalls.com campaign.
“Cancellations have been very low but on investigating those that have come through, they have all been connected to an overreaction to international media coverage, which included historical footage from 2002,” says Kennedy. He adds that if the industry operating in Victoria Falls feels that customers may be endangered at any stage, they will inform the trade as such.
