Zimparks infrastructure in bad state

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) has raised alarm over the deteriorating state of its infrastructure, warning that the situation is severely affecting domestic tourism and the organisation's capacity to generate revenue.

Zimparks Director of Commercial Services, Nomsa Chitsaka, made the revelations during an oral evidence session before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Tourism and Hospitality Industry last week.

Chitsaka outlined a grim picture of poor road networks, rundown accommodation facilities, inadequate funding from Treasury, and a cumbersome procurement system that have collectively led to declining domestic tourist interest in national parks and recreation sites.

She cited the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls highway and other access roads to smaller parks like Chivero Recreational Park and Umfurudzi Park as key examples of infrastructure failure. While some of these roads fall outside Zimparks' jurisdiction, their poor condition has continued to deter visitors.

"The state of National Parks' accommodation infrastructure lags behind that of the private sector, diminishing their appeal as tourism destinations," Chitsaka said. "Renovation efforts have been hampered by a tedious and costly procurement process, which delays progress and inflates costs compared to private operators."

According to Chitsaka, domestic tourism continues to take a hit despite increasing interest from locals. She revealed that 2024 visitor arrivals were higher than in 2019, but occupancy rates were lower, pointing to a growing aversion to Zimparks accommodation facilities.

"This substantiates the fact that the market is slowly neglecting the Zimparks accommodation, and this is mainly due to the state of the product," she said.

Chitsaka also lamented the severe financial constraints, with Treasury support failing to meet the maintenance and operational needs of the authority.

"Some of the linens are tattered, furniture is broken, and many facilities are in dire need of renovation. The limited funds Zimparks generates from the little occupancy it has are now being redirected towards piecemeal renovations," she told the committee.

She stressed that tourism remains a key funding source for Zimparks' wider operations, including conservation and park management, but that potential revenue is being lost due to the current state of disrepair.

Another major concern raised was the regulatory bottleneck under the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ), which she said restricts quick and efficient decision-making for Small Business Units (SBUs) operating within parks.

Facilities such as Tshabalala Refreshment Centre, Kariba Refreshment Centre, Zambezi Rock Pool, and Rhodes Nyanga Hotel were specifically mentioned as being affected by the restrictive procurement framework.

Chitsaka called on the committee to urgently review these issues to revamp the national parks' competitiveness and restore confidence in Zimbabwe's domestic tourism industry.

The committee is expected to present its recommendations to Parliament in the coming weeks.