Zimbabwe’s tourist dilemma

Tourists are shunning what is probably the most famous attraction in the whole of Africa, leaving those who rely on travellers’cash hungry and destitute. A report in The Guardian states that visitor number to Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe, have plummeted since the country descended into chaos over the past few years, with nearby hotels struggling to survive on occupation rates hovering around the 20 per cent mark. The president of the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism, Shingi Munyeza, told the newspaper that income from tourism had dropped from USD700 million in 1999 to one tenth of that last year. The figure is still falling. Opinions differ widely, however, when it comes to the subject of whether it is better for tourists to stay away from a country that is still under the iron grip of a dictator. One Victoria Falls councillor told The Guardian: “I wish the tourists would not come now. They play into Mugabe’s hands by giving the state machine money.” However, one musician had a different viewpoint: “The only way I can feed my family is to sell CDs and for that, I need tourists.”