The time has come to ‘modernise’ the Victoria Falls to attract a younger generation traveller to the World Heritage Site. This was the message from Zimbabwe’s Tourism Minister, Walter Mzembi, during the Mail & Guardian Investment Tourism Summit in Durban last week.

Mzembi says the Falls currently attract a “very elderly market of people”. He said the youth were easily bored with the natural attractions on offer and tended to hop back on the plane to South Africa for more “modern” experiences. “We should develop the Victoria Falls in order to capture and attract the attention of the Y-generation market.”

Mzembi stressed that the development would not desecrate the World Heritage status of the Victoria Falls in any way and that the development would be outside the perimeter. “The Victoria Falls will remain as virgin as when they were first discovered in the 1800s.”

The planned development includes an integrated tourism resort in Victoria Falls, which will position the area as a tourism hub for the SADC region and the development of the world’s first ever ‘eco-Disneyland’, according to Mzembi. The feasibility study for this theme park will be fast-tracked as part of a MOU that will be signed with China’s President, Xi Jinping, who is visiting the country next week.

Also on the cards are an international convention centre, hotels, shopping malls, presidential villas and a medical tourism park centre. “We want to establish a big international convention centre, which must seat 10 000 delegates,” said Mzembi, adding that currently the area needed to turn down conventions for lack of capacity. “Each time we hold a conference, we need to outsource to Zambia, because on our own, we can’t meet the demand.”

The Zimbabwean government will also look into developing an international finance centre, allowing people to do their offshore banking in Victoria Falls, as opposed to Mauritius or Hong Kong, according to Mzembi.

These proposed developments will close the infrastructure gaps in the resort town and lead to increased tourism earnings, said Mzembi. He added that the developments would also considerably increase the length of stay from the current two to three nights to seven-night stays. He added that the new Victoria Falls Airport, which will be commissioned before December 10, would considerably increase air capacity to the region.

The Zimbabwean government has made prime land near the Victoria Falls available for the development of these projects. However, Mzembi is still looking for private investors to make these projects a reality.

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