AS tour operator, Darryl Mugodhi, recalls dealing with a flurry of enquiries from visitors developing cold feet about their planned holidays at the Victoria Falls, his frustrations become evident What happened was that towards the end of 2019, there were a number of reports in the international media, which took not only people in Zimbabwe by surprise, but shocked the rest of the world The unsubstantiated reports claimed that Victoria Falls, one of the world’s seven wonders, was running dry The reports immediately caused anxiety among tour operators in Victoria Falls and in the tourism industry, in general
The Victoria Falls are the centerpiece of Zimbabwe’s tourism industry Not only were the stories untrue but they were a major threat to the livelihoods of an entire town and industry “These reports were absolutely inaccurate and sensational, only What was photographed and reported, was the dry section of the Falls that dries up every year during certain months
And yes – bookings were affected, with many enquiries on whether the visitors should still come if in fact the Falls are dry,” Mugodhi says The pictures and videos went viral on social media While the discussions centered on the impact of climate change there was one interesting take from American economist Steve Hanke who in a Tweet, later deleted, pointed the finger of blame at the government “Another sad example of the mismanagement and decline of Zimbabwe,” Hanke said
Zimbabweans who read the Tweet were perplexed The Falls’ entire catchment area lies outside the country’s boundaries So where was the connection with mismanagement in Zimbabwe Source: The Anchor
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Source: Theanchor
