Victoria Falls set to benefit from UNWTO 2013 conference
After a decade of low arrivals, Zimbabwe is seeing a huge growth in tourists to the country and the Victoria Falls is a prime destination, both as a tourist and conference destination.
But why is this town in landlocked Zimbabwe such a popular destination? Other than the obvious spectacular Victoria Falls (one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World) it is also the adventure capital of Africa, continually offering new and exciting activities. Furthermore, it is situated in the centre of a number of world-class national parks in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia, making it an ideal destination for travellers to pass through for a few days, before moving on to explore the surrounding areas.
The increase in arrivals that industry players are now preparing for can be attributed to a number of other positive factors.
Modernised airport
The Victoria Falls Airport is being modernised and enlarged and a number of international airlines are discussing possible flights into Zimbabwe and the town itself. This is in addition to the recent commencement of Emirates flights into Harare from Dubai, via Lusaka. South African Airways has also dramatically increased its capacity to Zimbabwe by 66 percent, while Air Namibia has launched a four-times-a-week schedule from Windhoek to Harare.
Meanwhile the town has become the destination of choice for conferences with the African Travel Association (ATA) having hosted its 37th World Congress from 18 to 22 May this year, which had 500 delegates descending upon the town. This is just the preview to what is expected in 2013, when the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly is hosted in both Victoria Falls and Livingstone, with an estimated 3000 delegates from 158 countries expected to attend.
New conference centre planned
Furthermore, the government is planning to build a new conference centre as preparation, which will not only go a long way in accommodating the few thousand delegates in 2013, but will also cement Victoria Falls' reputation as a world-class conferencing destination.
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