InterPress Service, Copyright 2000
November 30, 2000
By Lewis Machipisa, IPS

Misanet.com / IPS, 30 November - One of the boldest and most exciting cross-border initiatives, currently unfolding in Southern Africa, is the development of a mega national park by three countries to boost tourism arrivals.

Three national parks, the world famous Kruger National Park in South Africa, a large area of Mozambique, currently known as Coutada 16 and, in Zimbabwe, the Gonarezhou national Park and a slice of the land southwards of the Limpopo River will unite to form the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park (GKG) whose total area surface will be about 40.000 square metres.

The three parks, bring together, an extraordinary abundance of wildlife. A superb wildlife area in Mozambique will be added and introduced, for the first time, to the general public, forming a gateway to the massive winterland of ecotourism opportunities in that country.

The GKG Transfrontier Park will have 49 species of fish, including the very rare lung-fish and killfish, 34 species of frogs, and at least 116 species of reptiles. There will be more than 500 bird species, 147 kinds of mammals, and more than 2.000 species of plants.

There are also many hundreds of historic rock paintings, numerous archaeological sites, representing human presence over many centuries. Fossilised dinosaur bones lie in plain view.

Practically, the GKG Transfrontier Park will be fully operational once there is free movement of animals and people across the previous boundaries. This is likely to be achieved by 2003.

Tourists will be able to drive across the international boundaries into adjoining conservation areas in the three countries with minimal fuss or bother.

- Animals know no boundaries and therefore should roam as freely as possible, says Zimbabwean Mines, Environment and Tourism Minister. Francis Nhema. "By creating this big park, we are enabling the animals, especially the elephant, to roam freely."

For Zimbabwe, the initiative could not have come at a better time.

Hotels, travel agents and tour operators report a huge decline in business. This has been caused by the invasions of white owned farms by Zimbabwe liberation "war veterans" and continuing violent political clashes. These "veterans" of Zimbabwe's 1970s have invaded white-owned commercial farms over the past 11 months. 

The Zimbabwe Council for Tourism reports that its members are getting cancellations of more than 20 percent of their pre-bookings because tourists are fearing for their safety.

More than 35 people have been killed in politically motivated clashes over the past weeks. But no tourist has been targeted thus far. But that has not stopped tourists from canceling their bookings. Some hotels have experienced reduction of room bookings of as high as 70 percent.

- For Zimbabwe, we hope this will assist us to get to back to being one of the tourist destinations," says Francis Nhema, Zimbabwe's mines, environment and tourism minister. He said already the private sector had indicated its willingness to invest in the park. 

Nhema is just back from the World Tourism Market in London, UK where he assured journalists and tourists there that "though we had a few cases if violence, that did not warrant a ban on tourism in Zimbabwe. There have been no attacks on our major resorts."

- People are still keen to find out what's happening in Zimbabwe. They are now looking at us positively but whether we have done our marketing well will only be known in six months time to see if tourists figures are rising, says Nhema who has the unenviable task of sprucing up the battered image of Zimbabwe.

- We are going through a depressed passage and we need our friends more to get out of this'' said Nhema. Beside the fuel shortage and fears of violence, Nhema says tourists also complain of lukewarm reception when they arrive in Zimbabwe. "They complain that reception at airports by immigration officials who look bored and uninterested."

- The future looks good. We have learnt some lessons over the past six months, says an upbeat Nhema. "We had taken tourism for granted and gone to sleep hoping tourists will just come."

- The tourism sector has had its worst years. What we have seen after the election is a lot of inquiries and a few tourists coming in. But there is only one Victoria Falls and people want to see it. You can't duplicate it in any other region, so people want to come to Zimbabwe.

Last year, Zimbabwe's tourism sector earned the country about 10 billion Zimbabwe dollars from two million visitors. This year, projections point to a reduced inflow. (One US dollar is equal to 60 Zimbabwean dollars)

But the tourism sector has been growing strongly and has been growing at a much higher rate probably than any other sector in the economy. Zimbabwe's tourism sector contributes up to six percent of the country's GDP and employs some 200,000 people. It also earns 400 million US dollars yearly in foreign currency earnings. Error: Unable to read footer file.