Despite Zimbabwe being one of the COVID-19 red zone countries, the resort town of Victoria Falls is experiencing monumental visits thanks to government’s vaccination drive that saw the resort town becoming the first town to herd immunity.
In a bid to revive the country’s tourism sector which generally generates between US$1.5 and US$2 billion per annum according to tourism Minister Nqobizitha Ndlovu, government embarked on an ambitious target to inoculate the whole of Victoria Falls – making sure that threats of contracting Covid- 19 will not be used as an excuse not to visit Zimbabwe by potential tourists.
Although the road to complete recovery is still a bumpy one, the campaign is already starting to garner positive results.
Last month, American media personality, singer and actress, Paris Hilton was spotted in Zimbabwe visiting the world’s most spectacular waterfall, Victoria Falls.
The American socialite, businesswoman, and model is a great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. She shared a video with her Instagram followers from her hotel room captioned, ‘beautiful day in Zimbabwe’.
Last week, Jamaican music star Spice was also in Victoria Falls celebrating her birthday.
Sharing on Instagram, Spice wrote, “Life is about taking chances I’ve risked so much in the past. I took a leap of faith and started this journey of becoming a artist in 1999 so don’t be afraid to risk it all.CLICK THE LINK IN MY BIO TO PRE ORDER MY FIRST ALBUM 10 #spicealbum10 Drops in 10 days ‼️ This falls is right at the border of Zambia ?? and Zimbabwe ?? Would you do this ? Tag a friend you want to go here with @rushescape.”
In a symbolic move aimed at promoting tourism recovery, Mnangagwa had travelled to Victoria Falls to get his shot in March.
Since then, residents of the tourism-dependent town have been forming snaking queues outside public hospitals and clinics, waiting for their turn to get their first or second dose of the vaccine.
By end of March, more than 65 per cent of the eligible population in Victoria Falls had been vaccinated against Covid-19. Over 17,000 of Victoria Falls’ 26,000 adults aged 18 to 80 had received the first dose of the Sinopharm vaccine by March 29, after the national vaccination programme against Covid-19 was rolled out in the holiday destination on March 22.
Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 350,000 people each year trekked to the Zimbabwean side of the waterfall to see one of the world’s natural wonders.
