176: safari dreaming

In recent days, I've been searching around for any good news to come out of Zimbabwe. Nothing from the electoral process as yet, sadly, but there was a glimmer of hope within this article in the Times (UK) today. It suggests that tourism industry players - both within Zimbabwe and beyond - are cautiously optimistic about the current political situation and are poised to restart operations there as soon as stability returns. The African Travel and Tourism Association believes that for every 10 tourists visiting the country, one job is created, the income from which is sufficient to feed 10 local people. Indeed, tourism's contribution to the economy has been very significant in the past. Prior to 2000, great safari opportunities and the magnificent Victoria Falls made Zimbabwe one of the continent's top tourist destinations - which suggests it can be again, once tourists feel confident in the country's economic and security situation. There is hope then. If a solution can be found to the current political crisis, there appear to be plenty of people ready to back Zimbabwe and to build a sustainable future.