Lack of direct flights hindering Zimbabwe's tourism

Lack of direct flights from source markets is stifling Zimbabwe's potential to reap maximum benefits from tourist arrivals, an expert said on Monday.

Most airlines flying into Zimbabwe do not have direct flights into the country, Zimbabwe's news agency New Ziana reported.

Major source markets include Europe, the United States and Asia.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA head of corporate communications Sugar Chagonda connecting flights were deterring visitors from coming to Zimbabwe.

"Travellers flying to Harare spend long hours waiting for connecting flights and on stopovers," he said.

"Such inconveniences deter tourists as they are not prepared to spend long hours travelling," he said.

Chagonda said in the 1990s over 40 airplanes flew to Zimbabwe but the number has since dropped significantly to around 14 at the moment.

"That in itself is an indication of a significant drop in the number of tourists coming into the country," he said.

"We must understand the ripple effects of having a strong tourism industry in this country." he said.

He said stakeholders needed to understand that the people who came as tourists came back as investors.

"So every sector be it mining, agriculture, must look at tourists as investors," he said.

Recently a number of international airlines have resumed flights into the country.

This follows massive marketing of the country as a safe destination.

Zimbabwe had suffered a decade of negative publicity as Western countries sought to isolate it as punishment for implementing agrarian reforms.

Zimbabwe is expecting large numbers of tourists during the United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly which it will co-host with Zambia in August this year.