Government has engaged contractors to rehabilitate the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road which is in a bad state, an official has said.
Speaking at the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo 2024 here, Tourism and Hospitality Industry deputy minister, Tongai Mnangagwa said road works were expected to commence soon.
The state of the road from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls has been a cause for concern to various stakeholders, particularly tourism players.
The road is dilapidated with numerous potholes, making driving on it a nightmare for motorists. A road journey of an average four hours by car now takes up to six-eight hours.
“What is happening now is that we are consolidating and putting resources together so the contractor can go on ground and commence work,” Mnangagwa said.
He said government now intended to focus on the rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls and Harare-Chirundu highways after successfully completing similar work on major roads in Harare ahead of the big regional summit held in the city last month.
“We managed to appoint companies to work on those roads and soon within a month you will see a lot of progress. Patching has been done to the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls road but we need more than patching,” he said.
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Under the National Development Strategy (NDS1), road rehabilitation falls under the infrastructure cluster and roads are regarded as key economic enablers in line with the vision of attaining an upper middle-income economy status by 2030.
Turning to exhibition, Mnangagwa said this year`s expo had attracted a number of exhibitors, including tourism authorities, airlines, tour operators, and hoteliers.
“Delegates from across the globe are converging in Bulawayo to experience Zimbabwe’s tourism offerings and explore new business opportunities.
“The Expo aims to showcase Zimbabwe’s unique tourism products, rich cultural heritage, and untapped opportunities, while facilitating important discussions and partnerships for the advancement of the global tourism industry,” he said.
Mnangagwa also highlighted that the expo is featuring dedicated business-to-business meetings between international buyers and local. – New Ziana
