Most tourist attractions in Manicaland’s eastern highlands remain accessible to holidaymakers despite serious destruction to some major roads across the province due to incessant rains recorded in the country since January, a top sector official has said.
Heavy rainfall destroyed roads and bridges in some parts of Manicaland province in past weeks making some key service areas inaccessible.
In Headlands for instance, the Mwarazi Bridge was swept-off, cutting links with key service centers such as GMB depots in Chiendambuya and Chinyudze.
In an interview with 263Chat Business, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) president Charlton Chimbira said roads leading to key attractions remain passable.
“We haven’t really received an outcry from them (tourism players) we know of course that Chimanimani has a situation of its own given the amount of rains and the disasters that are attached to it but with regards to the generality of Manicaland you would find that the key attraction sites are still largely accessible,” said Chimbira.
However, there are some roads leading to key visitors’sites that have been affected and are yet to be repaired, it has emerged.
Investigations by this publication revealed that a bridge along the road leading to the majestic Nyachowa Falls in Vumba was damaged last week.
However, of concern is the deplorable state of the feeder-roads in the province due to decades of neglect by authorities who have failed to refurbish key routes.
HAZ has been pushing for the conversion of the military-owned Grand Reef Airport into a commercial airport to avoid some of the accessibility challenges associated with the mountainous terrain in the province.
“When you talk of transfer of our guests to those attraction sites its quite of paramount importance. We have been pushing it quiet aggressively in the last four years. We have noted that Manicaland is quiet a good alternative as a resort area but we don’t have airplanes, airplanes flying into the region,”
“So we have been pushing for the Grand Reef Airport to be sorted out as quickly as possible not only to benefit the tourism sector but also to assist in the movement of processed exports that are coming out from the region, it would simplify a lot of things,” said Chimbira.
The tourism sector has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic since March last year and is expected to recover following the reopening of the economy last month.
