Page 26 - Meetings Zimbabwe 2nd Edition

Attractions
additional funding is now making the destination more accessible for visitors and event organisers.
“We have an increase in the marketing budget for national parks, but are also working on other developments such as online ticketing for park entry and accommodation,” she said. “The latter went online this year with a new app too, and now anyone can see our facilities, activities and be able to book it via the Internet – the website is better and we can penetrate farther in to international markets and support the general promotion of Zimbabwe.”
While more new operators are now launching games drives and options such as canoeing, Musonza said there were still not enough options on the accommodation side: “We need more lodges and have the room to accommodate this in areas such as Hwange and Gonarezhou – we focus on conservation, but would like to offer upmarket products and want to encourage operators to come in to do that with quality accommodation that can help to fund conservation.”
The Frankfurt Zoological Society has signed a 10-year agreement with the Zimbabwe tourism ministry for conservation and development of Gonarezhou, and here Musonza says there are particular opportunities for additional accommodation:
“We have good roads and want premium lodges to come in and complement this,” she said, adding that similar partnerships were sought for other areas of Zimbabwe.
VICTORIA FALLS – a World Heritage Site
The Falls are 1.7km wide and nearly 550 million litres of water cascade in to the chasm below every minute during peak flow. Of the five vantage points of the Falls, four are in Zimbabwe - Devils Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and the Horse Shoe Falls.
Combining bush and water, the Zambezi National Park comprises 40km of Zambezi River frontage, the inland mopane forest and savannah - among the animals living in the Park are four of the Big Five, elephant, lion, buffalo, and leopard – while the Zambezi River is famous for its bream and fighting tiger fish.
HWANGE NATIONAL PARK
The largest park in Zimbabwe, Hwange National Park covers 14,650 sq km in the west of the country near Victoria Falls and is renowned as a showcase of African wildlife, with one of the largest elephant populations in the world - best time to visit is in the dry season between August and October when animals congregate around water holes.
Divided in to three distinct areas, accommodation includes self-catering lodges, cottages and chalets, restaurants and a museum, and there are some conference facilities.
MANA POOLS NATIONAL PARK – a World Heritage Site
A remote wilderness, the Mana Pools National Park is one of the country’s Big Five Parks and is sited around four large pools inland from the Zambezi River in an area of around 2,200 sq km.
Hippopotamus, crocodiles and a wide variety of aquatic birds are found there, along with a unique habitat on the old river terraces where a surreal light engenders a distinctive cathedral- like atmosphere under the tree canopy.
As well as five lodges, there are several exclusive campsites and activities around the park include canoeing on the Zambezi, guided walks, full moon walking safaris, lion tracking and fishing.
MATUSADONA NATIONAL PARK
South west of Mana Pools on Lake Kariba, Matusadona occupies around 1,400 sq km and is an IPZ set up to rejuvenate herds of endangered species such as black rhino. Benefitting from the
26 Meetings Zimbabwe 2015