The Sunday News
THE Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe has committed to aggressively market the Victoria Falls International Airport to ensure that after completion it does not turn into a white elephant amid revelations that the project is now 70 percent complete.
Speaking at the CAAZ stand during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on Friday board chairman Dr Themba Nyoni said one of their goals was to see the airport becoming a regional hub and that entails bringing in a lot of airlines into the country.
“One advantage with Victoria Falls is that the destination markets itself. CAAZ is an enabler hence it enables airlines to come in and enjoy the world class facilities that are available in the country,” said Dr Nyoni.
Dr Nyoni said the marketing of airlines involved a number of stakeholders that include the immigration and customs departments as well as the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. He said the whole process was a complementing effort and CAAZ was working towards getting all these stakeholders together.
“One has to understand the reasons behind why people want to visit a destination hence the process of marketing ropes in the hospitality industry, we have to ensure we have enough capacity to accommodate all visitors. It also includes car hires and the whole community of Victoria Falls, what the destination has to offer that will make people increase bed nights,” he said.
He said the authority has already begun engaging other stakeholders to prepare them for the expected influx of visitors.
Dr Nyoni said it was imperative for the immigration and customs departments to come up with measures that will ensure the quick processing of people and cargo.
“We are working with everyone that we know will be part of the success of this project. We have been attending international fairs as a way of marketing the airport and for other specific airlines we have employed targeted marketing,” he said.
He said the development of infrastructure is in line with the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio- Economic Transformation thrust.
Responding to questions on the development of other airports around the country, Dr Nyoni said CAAZ had gone into partnership with local businesspeople to spruce up Buffalo Range Airport and that the developments will be completed at the end of this month.
He said the expansion project was not only limited to Victoria Falls but it will cover other airports as well.
“We are relocating Kariba Airport to a new area that we have identified and we are also increasing the capabilities at the different airports by providing them with fuel. We used to have mobile facilities but these areas require inbuilt fuel facilities,” Dr Nyoni said.
On the control tower at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo airport, he said it was on the authority’s five-year plan to have the airport completed as a control tower is a priority due to issues of safety.
Monitoring and communicating movements at JMN airport is being done using CCTVs.
The development of airports and air connectivity has been identified as one of the major developments in the country in a bid to make the destination more accessible especially from source markets.
