The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) says it is elated by the recent recognition of the Victoria Falls as one of the 30 amazing places to visit in Africa by CNN Travel.
The development comes at a time the country is looking to boost tourist arrivals during the festival season.
CNN Travel ranked the Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Wonders of the World according to UNESCO World Heritage Sites, as the sixth must visit tourist destination in Africa
ZTA Head of Cooperate Affairs Godfrey Koti told 263Chat that the recognition will go a long way in restoring tourist confidence which had gone a bit low, especially in the first half of the year.
“We are delighted, it’s a good sign, it can only help us on a season where were looking downward in terms of our numbers. Remember we went down a bit by three percent, so we are looking at increasing numbers as we end the year and we hope we will end it strongly.
“The first half of the year was not very good but it is the trend for tourism. So, we are very excited by this endorsement which can only mean that good things are coming,” Koti said.
The CNN Planet list is topped by Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Reserves and has the Table Mountains in South Africa in second place.
The Djemaa el Fna in Morocco, Sossusvlei Dunes in Namibia and Mountain Gorillas in Rwanda all make up the top five.
Meanwhile, Koti stated that contrary to popular beliefs that water levels were getting low, it was only seasonal and there has been a marked improvement in the levels of water due to the current rainfall being experienced in the country.
“I must also hasten to put the myth behind that Victoria Falls is running dry, it is not, its seasonal. As of the 15th of November, the water levels had started picking up again because it has rained up north and we depend on that particular side of Africa to bring us water into the Victoria Falls,” he said.
