Tourism sector happy with localised lockdowns

PLAYERS in the tourism industry are confident the new lockdown measures effected by Government to contain spread of Covid-19 will help maintain growing confidence in destination Zimbabwe.

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which was first detected in China in December 2019 before spreading across the globe, has adversely affected world economies with the tourism industry being the hardest hit.

Countries around the world imposed travel restrictions resulting in loss of business especially for the tourism industry.

Arrivals and hotel occupancies drastically dropped and workers in the tourism industry either lost their jobs or had their salaries cut.

A recent survey by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) panel of tourism experts shows that prospects for the May-August period will improve slightly as confidence within the international tourism market is slowly picking up across the globe.

This is despite an 83 percent dip in arrivals during the first quarter of 2021.

Locally, the past few weeks had reignited hopes in the sector as organisations had started holding conferences especially in Victoria Falls before Government imposed new restrictions owing to a surge in new cases.

The new regulations which banned all gatherings including meetings were effected on Monday last week.

Under the new measures restaurants are not allowed to sell food to sit in customers save for hotels and lodges restaurants.

Beer halls and nightclubs remain closed while bottle stores have to operate from 10am to 4pm with retailers and shops operating from 8am to 6pm.

While most formal businesses have been complying in Victoria Falls, a news crew observed that shebeens have now replaced bars and nightclubs

Victoria Falls reached herd immunity following mass vaccination rolled out by Government in March making the destination one of the safest in the world.

Players in the mainstream tourism industry have called on every citizen to play a role in the fight against the pandemic to speed up the return to normalcy.

Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Matabeleland North chapter chairperson Mr Anald Musonza commended Government for localising lockdown in hotspots but warned citizens against complacency.

“Everybody is in panic mode because we don’t want to go back to the hard lockdown. We are however buoyed as Victoria Falls that our destination reached herd immunity and we take this spike in new cases as a test to see if our systems really work. As Zimbabwe we have the most stringent Covid-19 health protocols which is why the situation is contained and we thank our leaders for that,” said Musonza.

He said the country had demonstrated its commitment to fighting the spread of the pandemic in order to safeguard its citizens and visitors.

“We are happy with the decision to localise lockdowns as opposed to taking a blanket approach,” he said.

Mr Musonza said the good thing was that tourists are required to present their negative PCR certificates or vaccination certificates on entry and health authorities also test or quarantine even those with negative certificates if they present symptoms.

He said herd immunity gave Victoria Falls and the country a good name which he said should not be tarnished by sensational media reporting.

“It’s up to us not to sensationalise issues and as such it is incumbent on our media to be responsible in its reporting,” said Mr Musonza.

He said tourism arrivals had started picking up giving confidence to the whole industry.

At the peak of Covid-19 lockdown business was 90 percent local tourism but lately international tourists had started trickling in because of the country’s success story in fighting the pandemic. — chroicle.cl.zw