BBC Forty people have been killed in a stampede as Iranians flocked to the burial of a top commander killed in a US drone strike, officials say. The deaths in Qasem Soleimani’s hometown of Kerman led to the postponement of his interment. A new time will be announced later. Millions are already estimated to have
By AFP Singapore Airlines insisted Thursday that cameras on its planes’ entertainment systems had been disabled after an outcry online from worried passengers who spotted the tiny lenses peering at them. Travellers took to Twitter and other social media to raise the alarm over the cameras at the bottom of seat-back screens on a number
By AFP HARARE: The departure of Robert Mugabe has finally brought some good to Zimbabwe — a boom in tourism. Mugabe was removed from power in November last year after the military stepped in. Mugabe’s fall has been a blessing to Zimbabwe with more tourists now visiting. Zimbabwe Tourism Authority CEO Karikoga Kaseke revealed the tourism boom at
By AFP A sick eight-year-old triggered a cholera scare onboard a flight from the Algerian city of Oran to Perpignan in southern France on Wednesday. The child was among 147 passengers on the ASL Airlines flight who were kept on the plane for about an hour after it landed. They were eventually allowed off after
By Staff Reporter UK-based tour operator, Wilderness Safaris, is set to return to Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park after a twelve-year absence. Company CEO, Keith Vincent said the magnificent 1.7 million-hectare park, situated at the elegant new Chikwenya Camp at the confluence of the Sapi and Zambezi rivers will be open for guests on 1
By thetimes.co.uk My hols: Jon Snow My partner is from Zimbabwe and we took our first holiday there this year (I couldn’t go earlier because I was banned by Mugabe). It’s a sensational country with wide open spaces and good roads, yet it’s underpopulated. We stayed in Hwange National Park, about an hour from Victoria
By AFP After nearly two decades in the doldrums, Zimbabwe’s tourism sector is enjoying a rebound, with visitors returning in droves to see the majestic Victoria Falls and explore unspoilt safari reserves. The number of foreign visitors to Victoria Falls, the southern African country’s flagship destination, jumped nearly 50 percent in the first quarter of
By Peta Thornycroft IT IS one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the stupendous roar of its cascades synonymous with the raw beauty of the African landscape. But for nearly two decades, Victoria Falls was a little-visited gem, as the political violence and mismanagement of Robert Mugabe’s regime kept tourists away from Zimbabwe.
By Bulawayo Correspondent LOCAL and foreign international steam train enthusiasts were recently treated to a 200km round trip from Bulawayo to Plumtree by the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). The Mother’s Day jamboree attracted steam train enthusiasts from countries like France and Italy. Local steam train lovers from as far as Harare also participated in
By Xinhua HARARE: Zambia’s airline Proflight announced Wednesday that it will launch a new service between Zimbabwe’s capital Harare and Zambia’s capital Lusaka in July, its third international route as it expands its regional footprint. In a statement to Xinhua, the airline said the Lusaka-Harare route, staring on July 9, will not only boost trade
By Court Reporter THREE employees from Cresta Oasis hotel in Harare landed in the dock for allegedly stealing US$900 from a client. Tinashe Shamba, 20, Godknows Mupatiwa, 27, and Shupikayi Puruvheya, 42, appeared before Harare magistrate Tilda Mazhande last Friday. They released them on $50 bail each and remanded to May 23 for their trial.
By Joshua Hammer I Hamilton Spectator JOHN Brebner swept his binoculars over a fissure-ridden rock face that towered over a grove of acacia trees. Candy-coloured striations of dolomite and quartz ran through the tan granite, and human figures painted by Khoisan Bushmen three millenniums ago were faintly visible on the facade. “There it is,” Brebner
Staff Reporter SERVED by a main road in an appalling state of disrepair and lacking commercial air links with the major cities of Harare and Bulawayo, Masvingo has in recent years struggled to realise its undoubtedly immense potential as tourism destination. This historic city is home to the Great Zimbabwe monuments which are recognised as
Staff Reporter IF the interaction between mankind and nature is ordinarily about the former digging up and destroying the latter for his existential convenience then the Lodge at the Ancient City is proof that man does not always need to cut down trees, dig up the ground and flatten hills for his comfort. The design
By Associated Press EACH day, more than 8 million people around the globe step aboard some 90,000 flights. They almost always land safely. But in the rare chance of a crash, there are some things passengers can do to improve their odds of surviving. Here are some tips adapted from a British Airways safety awareness
By Julian Glover THOSE in the know call it Gona: a piece of wild Africa where a safari means something more than a queue of camera-toting tourists in minibuses clustered around a bored lion. It is a place where crystal-clear rivers meet, 8,000 elephant roam and iridescent birds dart among trees in an untouched forest
By Business Reporter HOTEL standards in Zimbabwe have gone down over the years but the country is working hard to get back to international best practice, tourism chief Karikoga Kaseke has said. He was speaking a press conference held at the Victoria Falls International Airport with UK-based travel writers who recently visited the country to
By Gilbert Nyambabvu UK-BASED travel writers who recently visited Zimbabwe have described the country as a “fantastic destination” and urged the industry to counter effects of past negative international publicity and reassure source markets that “whatever the political history might be, people of all races are welcome”. The trip was facilitated by the Zimbabwe Tourism
By Gilbert Nyambabvu ZIMBABWE is looking to double tourist arrivals to five million by 2020, the head of the country’s tourism promotion agency has said. “In three years we must double our current tourism arrivals,” Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive Karikoga Kaseke told a group of UK travel journalists who recently visited the country.
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has revealed ambitious plans to establish a tourism and fisheries university to cater for the Zambezi Valley region once elected into office. The opposition alliance, Chamisa added, would also transform Victoria Falls into the Las Vegas of Africa. Speaking at a campaign rally in Victoria Falls last Friday, Chamisa said
