Masvingo, home to the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a World Heritage Site, is under the spotlight. According to Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Area Manager, Daniel Mumpande, Masvingo visitor numbers have been steadily declining.

Mumpande, speaking to New Zimbabwe, said a major contributing factor to the decline was the poor state of roads to the area. Visitors from South Africa and the United Kingdom used to make up the bulk of visitors to the town through self-drive tours, but today the poor state of roads linking Masvingo to major cities such as Harare and Bulawayo make this very difficult. Mumpande said the problem could be addressed through creating air links between these cities.

Currently, the airport at Masvingo is functional for charter flights but Mumpande would like to see it upgraded for commercial use. “Scheduled flights to Harare and Bulawayo would help local tourism because the tourist does not have the time to drive all the way for three to four hours to see the monuments. We want them to spend time at the attractions and not on the road. So, if the airport is upgraded we can mitigate that factor.”

Mumpande sees potential in the area beyond its cultural history. The Tokwe Mukosi Dam, which was opened in May 2017, offers the opportunity to build an industry around water tourism. “There is a huge expanse of water and there are a couple of islands as well. We can have resorts, for example. We can also do scuba diving to explore the fish and amphibian species of the area.” Also in the area is Lake Mutirikwi, south-west of Masvingo. It was formerly known as Lake Kyle and Mumpande has suggested developing a package incorporating three activities. Visitors would then be able enjoy the monuments at Great Zimbabwe, then head to the lake for water-based activities. The lake is situated in the Mutirikwi National Park, allowing visitors to enjoy game viewing from the boat or on land.