Bungee jumps suspended at Victoria Falls

HARARE — A Zimbabwean tourism company has suspended bungee jumps at Victoria Falls while they investigate an accident in which a tourist plunged into the Zambezi River, a spokesman said Thursday.

"We voluntarily suspended bungee jumping for two days (from Wednesday) to allow an audit of the accident that happened" after a cord snapped, Shearwater Adventures spokesman Clement Mukwasi told AFP.

"This was to allow the auditors, management and crew the opportunity to analyse the causes of the broken cord and review the new system and procedures without distractions."

Jumps could resume from the weekend, he added.

On New Year's Eve, 22-year-old Australian Erin Langworthy jumped from the Victoria Falls bridge and fell head-first into the Zambezi River, 111 metres (364 feet) below.

The hair-raising accident was caught on video and Langworthy is seen hitting the water with her feet still tied before being swept towards rapids on the river, which separates Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Langworthy managed to avoid any crocodiles and swim to the Zimbabwe side of the river, where she hauled herself out.

She suffered a fractured collar bone and severe bruising and was taken to South Africa for treatment.

Mukwasi said "all other activities including bridge swings, slides tours and the restaurant facility will continue as normal."

Zambia's tourism minister Given Lubinda on Sunday took a bungee jump in an attempt to assure tourists of its safety.

Tourism is the life blood of the towns of Victoria Falls and Livingstone in Zambia, where upmarket resorts attract visitors from around the world.

Mukwasi said the probability of an accident was one in 50,000 jumps a year.

Australian tourist survives after bungee cord breaks at Vic Falls

Victoria Falls: The exact reason for the chord failure is as yet unknown and we do not want to speculate until the reviewed by the independent auditors and sent for forensic analysis.

Questions are being raised as to who is to blame for an accident that could have claimed the life of Erin Langworthy, who wanted to usher in 2012 with an adrenaline rush at Vic Falls, but she got far more than she bargained for after her bungee cord snapped on the way down.

The 22-year-old Australian was on holiday on New Year’s Eve when she took the 111-metre bungee jump from the Victoria Falls bridge above the river, plunging her head-first into the raging crocodile-infested waters of the Zambezi River.

But it all went horribly wrong when the cord snapped about halfway into the jump. The terrifying moment was caught on video and Langworthy is seen hitting the water with her feet still tied before being swept towards rapids, AFP reported.

The young woman from Perth today described her miracle escape in an interview with Australia’s Channel Nine.

“It went black straight away and I felt like I’d been slapped all over. As I went deeper, the water got colder and it must have snapped me out of it.”

Langworthy said she had been white water rafting the previous day and remembered some of the safety tips to get through the looming rapids.

“The water was going quite quickly and then I started to hear the roaring,” she said. ”It’s like being in waves, you get sucked under and then you pop up so it’s very disorienting, I didn’t know which was up or down.”

She managed to swim to the Zimbabwe side of the river, where she hauled herself out.

“It was quite scary because a couple of times the rope actually got caught on some rocks or debris,” she said. ”I actually had to swim down and yank the bungee cord out of whatever it was caught on to make it to the surface.”

Langworthy suffered a fractured collar bone as well as massive bruising in the accident and was taken to South Africa for treatment.

“Yes, I think it’s definitely a miracle that I survived,” she told the broadcaster.

The Lusaka Times quoted Zambian Tourism Minister Given Lubinda as assuring tourists the bungee jumping equipment was safe, despite the incident.

“The bungee has proven to be a very viable operation considering that more than 50 000 tourists jump on it every year,” he said. ”It has been in operation for 10 years. This is the first time I am hearing of an incident. The probability of an incident is one in 500 000 jumps.”

Some have blamed the booking agent, Safari Par Excellence, but the company has claimed it is not the bungee operator.

Victoria Falls Bungee released a statement on 6 January which read, “The exact reason for the chord failure is as yet unknown and we do not want to speculate until the reviewed by the independent auditors and sent for forensic analysis. We take this exceptionally seriously and our objective now is to learn from this incident and review every component part of our operation to determine where we can further minimize the risk of bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls Bridge.”

The company said it had removed all bungee cords from the system, which were made with the same batch of rubber as that used to make the failed cord. These have been retained for further testing.
It added that an entirely new set of bungee cords have been installed on the system. These have been extensively load tested and inspected thoroughly and we are satisfied that they are safe to jump on.
“The broken cord has been carefully stored and will shortly be sent to South Africa for forensic testing. The entire bungee system has been thoroughly inspected and checked and we are fully confident that everything is safe to jump on.”

Victoria Falls Registers Increase In Festive Tourist Arrivals

Zimbabwe’s major tourist destination, Victoria Falls registered a near 10% increase in tourist arrivals during the festive season compared to 2010, according to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZNPWA). Caroline Washaya-Moyo, the ZNPWA public relations officer stated in a statement that a total of 7950 visitors during the peak period of the festive season between 21 and 27 December were registered in the resort town compared to 7069 visitors in 2010. The figure represented an 8.8% increase.

“During the same period in 2010, locals constituted 57%, international visitors 17% and regional 17%.

“Of the 2011 entries, 64% percent were locals while international visitors constituted 19% and regional visitors 26%,” Caroline Washaya-Moyo, the ZNPWA public relations officer said in a statement.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) recently said the increase in tourist arrivals is a clear sign of the recovery of the country’s tourism sector which had been hard hit by the political instability in the country over the last ten years and the deterioration of relations with western countries – the sector’s traditional source markets.

The ZTA has said the continued growth in arrivals can be attributed to the increased confidence in Zimbabwe as a tourist destination and the political stability.

Following the establishment of a coalition government, many governments lifted travel bans to Zimbabwe, which had been imposed for security reasons, for their citizens.

As a result, ZTA said, tourists began coming to Zimbabwe again, including from the most skeptic European markets.

''The effects of the all-inclusive government which was formed in February 2009 and the lifting of travel warnings against Zimbabwe by some of the country's major source markets such as Japan, USA and Germany contributed to the increase in tourist arrivals,'' the agency noted in a statement.

Focusing on tourism development key to prosperity

THE Patriotic Front (PF) Government has recorded notable successes in the tourism sector during its first 90 days of being in office.

One of the major achievements over the last three months was when Zambia and Zimbabwe won a bid to co-host the 186 member United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly in 2013.

This was during the 19th Session of the UNWTO general assembly which was held in South Korea from 8th -14th October 2011.

Delegates worldwide unanimously agreed that Zambia and Zimbabwe co-host this important World event in 2013 in Livingstone and Victoria Falls town.

Tourism and Information Minister Given Lubinda led the Zambian delegation during the meeting in South Korea where Zambia and Zimbabwe won a bid to co-host the UNWTO general assembly.

The general assembly is the principal gathering of the UNWTO which meets after every two years to consider the budget and programme of work of the United Nations specialised agency on tourism.

Delegates to the general assembly are drawn from the six regional commissions of the UNWTO from Africa, the Americas, the East and Pacific Europe, the Middle East and South Asia.

The event usually attracts 186 ministers responsible for tourism as well as media personnel and tourism stakeholders from various countries internationally thereby raising the profiles of hosting countries worldwide.

Another important achievement over the last three months is that the PF Government has provided K21.1 billion for tourism marketing and promotion as well as K15.0 billion to recapitalise Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) in next year’s budget.

The funding will go a long way in recapitalising ZAWA as well as in boosting the marketing of Zambian tourism locally and abroad.

Further, several companies and organisations including those in the hospitality industry in Zambia have improved their conditions of service for their workers over the last three weeks following President Michael Sata’s insistence for institutions to improve their conditions of service for their workers.

Southern Tourism, Agriculture and Commercial Show Society (STACSS) chairperson Fredrick Mwendapole said the PF Government had laid a solid foundation for the growth of the tourism sector during its 90 days in office.

Mr Mwendapole, who is vice-president of the Institute of Directors for Southern Region and Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) member, said the recent winning of a bid to co-host the UNWTO general assembly was not a small achievement but something through which the country would benefit a lot in terms of marketing tourism products abroad.

"There were so many countries which bid for the hosting of the UNWTO general assembly but Zambia and Zimbabwe won the bid.

This is a major achievement under the PF Government as prospects of taking the country to higher heights are very high," he said.

Mr Mwendapole advised Zambians against thinking that the PF Government could achieve everything in 90 days as its mandate was five years which was still running.

He said the successful bid to co-host the UNWTO general assembly seemed to be the best gift for the PF Government under the leadership of President Michael Sata and the country as a whole.

Mr Mwendapole commended the Zambian Tourism Minister Mr Lubinda and his Zimbabwe counterpart for putting up an effective bid that saw the two countries win the bid.

"We now look forward to participate fully and take advantage of working together with our counterpart, our neighbour Zimbabwe,’’ he said.

As for the tour operators, let us not be very greedy as the Government starts working on the reduction of the cost of doing business. The same benefit should be passed on to the consumers of the services we provide," Mr Mwendapole said.

He said in doing so, operators would remain competitive to neighbours and increase traffic into Zambia which was key.

Mr Mwendapole also noted that PF Government’s decision to increase its funding to the Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) in next year’s budget would boost the marketing of Zambian tourism products locally and abroad.

He said Zambia should emulate countries such as Kenya, Mauritius and South Africa in promoting local tourism.

"As you may be aware, ZTB recently conducted a road show on the Copperbelt to promote domestic tourism.

This is important because apart from focusing on foreign tourists, we need to focus on local tourism," he said.

Mr Mwendapole was also impressed that companies especially those in the hospitality industry had improved their conditions of service for their workers over the last three months of PF’s 90 days in office.

"Out of President Sata’s pronouncements on the labour market, a lot of companies are now trying to adhere to labour rules by paying decent wages to their workers.

Even street vendors are also excited because the President has directed that vendors should not be chased from the streets," Mr Mwendapole said.

He said the concept of more money in the pocket should not be misunderstood as it merely meant that the Government would put favourable policies for the local people to increase their capacity to do their businesses.

Mr Mwendapole said there was need for the Government and the private sector to work together to foster development in the country.

"Things have started improving in the country and what we need to do as Zambians is to support the PF Government because Government alone can’t do everything for us.

We need to have confidence in the Government and in whatever has been done over the last three years," he said.

The Catholic Diocese of Livingstone asked Zambians to give PF Government more time to implement its campaign promises following the elapse of the 90 days in office.

Diocesan secretary Clifford Mulasikwanda said more time was needed for the PF Government to implement the rest of the campaign promises which were not implemented in its 90 days of being in office.

Father Mulasikwanda said the people of Zambia looked to the new Government to implement its election promises adding that some of the campaign promises had already been implemented.

Cape Town is world's 5th most desirable holiday spot

An international poll conducted by British Airways shows that Cape Town is the fifth most desirable destination in the world among eager travellers keen to get away for the festive season according to a report published by IOL Travel.

London topped the list with respondents citing the city's great shopping as its key attraction. It was followed by the Caribbean, Brazil and New York, with Cape Town in fifth spot and then Sydney and Florida at seventh and eighth respectively.

According to IOL Travel, Daniel Bainbridge, British Airways' strategic commercial development manager says that Cape Town has consistently been in the Top Ten desirable destinations and recent accolades for the city - including the World Design Capital and the Seven Natural Wonders - will enhance its appeal for tourists.
British Airways has increased the number of flights between London and Cape Town to cater for the higher demand.

Zimbabwe the Number 1 tourist destination!

When news filtered that Zimbabwe had won the bid to co-host the 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly together with Zambia, I am one person who was so elated and said to myself, what a great opportunity to market Zimbabwe's tourism brand!

Zimbabwe had been declared the place to be, come 2013. I saw this as a vote of confidence for the nation. To me, Zimbabwe had been approved as a prime tourist destination. It's like the UN body was saying all international roads, railways, seas and airlines should be re-directed to an African country found in the Southern part of the continent, rightly named Zimbabwe. I felt like all the negative media publicity peddled by the so-called international media had been countered, shamed, proved wrong and shot down. The UNWTO listened to our bid on a professional basis and gave the nod for us to host on the merit of the strength of our bid.

Thumbs up to the bid task force led by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Engineer Walter Mzembi. Congratulations and thank you Comrade. It is always satisfying to note that there are people like you who are working so hard to put Zimbabwe on the world map.

Gratitude also goes to the UNWTO for honouring Zimbabwe and Southern Africa in the process. I am sure the two hosts will not disappoint you at all. Zimbabwe and Zambia will certainly rise to the occasion come 2013.

The time to start preparing is now and I am glad Cde Mzembi and his Ministry has already alluded to this fact. Waiting until 2013 would obviously be disastrous. That the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry is working towards opening a permanent office in Victoria Falls to enable it to work with tour operators in the resort town ahead of the mega event is very commendable.

The Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Dr Sylvester Maunganidze has also said there is an urgent need for the expansion of Victoria Falls International Airport to enable it to handle more and bigger aircrafts. "We need to establish how the airport will handle the flights if 15 aircrafts are going to land within an hour and how long will the passengers wait to stamp their passports," he said.

What is clear therefore is the need for team work amongst all stakeholders to ensure that Zimbabwe maximises business opportunities through the hosting of this UN event. When Dr Maunganidze mentioned the issue of how long it will take for passports to be stamped, my mind thought of the Immigration Department. This department will have to upgrade its systems to improve its speed and efficiency at the ports of entry to ensure a smooth and hustle-free entrance and exit of our visitors before, during, and after the hosting of the UNWTO General Assembly in 2013.

News that government has identified land for the construction of a Convention Centre in Victoria Falls which will be used as the venue for the October 2013 UNWTO General Assembly, is also welcome. We hope the government will allocate funds for its construction through the 2012 National Budget which Minister Biti will be announcing later this month.

This writer trusts that architects and technical planners are already drawing the plan for the construction of the Convention Centre.

Why does this writer say preparation must start now? The nation does not have to wait until last minute because, as they say, the last minute is dangerous. Successful hosting of the UNWTO must begin now, come 2013 everything and everyone will be more than ready. Also, it has been reported that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation secretary general, Mr. Kaleb Rifai, will be in Zimbabwe in February 2012 (we only have December and January left) on a fact finding mission to ascertain the capacity of the country to host the 2013 UNWTO General Assembly.

Another reason for preparations to commence now is the revelations that a UN workshop which was meant to be held in another country has been re-directed to Victoria Falls this December following our successful bid; the Africa Travel Association Convention has also been re-directed to Victoria Falls in May 2012 and is set attract over 2 000 people from all over the world.

The above-mentioned events from December this year to May 2012 must be used to tell the world that Zimbabwe can indeed host the UNWTO General Assembly in 2013. The UN chief should leave this country without any doubt as to our capacity and ability to host the mega UN event.

Tourism stakeholders should now ensure that whatever they do, they go an extra mile in pronouncing a positive image of the country as it will now be under spotlight even on matters deemed minor. Recently, political parties have also come together to urge the nation to be committed to a violent-free society and such a society will be crucial in our bid to host the UNWTO in 2013. Every Zimbabwean has a role to play, particularly because whatever one does will always reflect on the country's image to the outside world.

Zimbabwe has many tourist attractions, some of which have never been exposed to the outside world and have the potential to become prime tourist destinations.

It is therefore laudable that the government of Zimbabwe recently declared the country a tourism zone, in a move that will ensure that all tourist attractions throughout the country receive more exposure and adequate resources to enable them to realise their full potential as prime tourist destinations.

The Great Zimbabwe Monuments, the National Heroes Acre, the Khami ruins, Lake Mutirikwi Dam wall, Mana pools, Nyanga and Vumba mountains, Pungwe Falls, Chinhoyi Caves, Kariba Dam wall, Birchenough Bridge, Lake Chivero, Hwange National Park, Gonarezhou National Park, Matopo National Park, Chipangali Game Park, Bulawayo Museum, Mazvikadei Dam, the Crocodile Farm in Victoria Falls, and the mighty Victoria Falls, are some of the nation's great tourist destinations which can be marketed aggressively ahead of the 2013 UNWTO General Assembly.

Aggressive marketing and lobbying can result in some delegates to the UN event coming earlier or remaining behind to enjoy Zimbabwe's tourist attractions, thereby ensuring the nation boosts its tourism revenue inflows. Research has shown that previous hosts of the UNWTO General Assembly managed to multiply their gross domestic product by 10 times from hosting the event. The business community must come together and find ways of maximising benefits of hosting the UN tourism event.

This writer being a journalist, it would be prudent at this juncture to urge all media organisations in this beautiful country, be they private or public, to unite in marketing

Zimbabwe as a safe and attractive tourist destination. The media should take a leading role in telling the true Zimbabwean story that has been distorted in the last decade by western media conglomerates.

The media as the fourth estate must be the face of the country and since the country has won the UNWTO bid, the media should write or broadcast profiles of the country's tourism facilities.

The arts sector will also come into play here. Local traditional dance groups must be engaged to entertain guests in all the country's tourist attractions, not just in Victoria Falls. This writer has had an opportunity to watch them at the Great Zimbabwe Monuments. Everyone must be on board for a successful hosting.

Zimbabweans, your hospitality is only second to none. This is one aspect all visitors to this great nation agree on. Let us continue to be hospitable and Zimbabwe will successfully co-host the October 2013 United Nations World Tourism Organisation General Assembly with neighbours, Zambia. To all our visitors, welcome to Zimbabwe!