Lovemore Chikova — Development Dialogue
Fly into Harare and you will be greeted with massive cranes and tonnes of steel supporting work on what will soon be a new-look Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
In Victoria Falls, the traveller is greeted by a majestically imposing Victoria Falls International Airport that was recently upgraded, with some sections being completely re-built, while other areas were added to the original structure.
Then go to Bulawayo and the situation is the same — a nice, revamped Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport greets visitors, after its upgrade.
With the airports upgrading being undertaken by the Airports Company of Zimbabwe with guidance from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, local airports will never be a boring experience.
In fact, the upgrading of airports augurs well with the developmental aspirations of the New Dispensation being driven by the National Development Strategy 1 and the desire to attain Vision 2030 of achieving an upper middle income economy.
Modern airports play a vital role in the tourism sector, as already being witnessed at Victoria Falls International Airport.
After completion of the works at the international airport, Ethiopian Airways launched a direct flight to the destination using a Boeing 737-800.
Kenya Airways followed suit by introducing direct flights to Victoria Falls after the launch of its Nairobi-Victoria Falls-Cape Town route.
This complemented other airlines like British Airways, South African Airways, Air Zimbabwe, Fastjet and Airlink that were already flying to the world class resort town.
Other reputable international airlines like Qatar, Etihad, Lufthansa and Emirates expressed their desire to fly into the destination. Beyond the Covid-19 era, the upgraded airports will play a crucial role in the tourism matrix by boosting arrivals.Well, let us face it — travellers are sometimes easily discouraged by the state of certain airports which do not give them that aesthetic experience.And in some cases, airports are avoided simply because they are viewed as not up to standard.But all this is set to change, considering the work being carried out by the Airports Company of Zimbabwe.It is important to the development of Zimbabwe that the airports are being upgraded as that will improve passenger circulation.The net effect will be improved customer satisfaction and passenger experience, thus creating a positive lasting impression on travellers, who will act as ambassadors of the country by spreading the word.After the upgrade, the airports should be marketed as brands that can attract travellers to enter the country through them […]
