Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, a flagship of Africa Albida Tourism group, says it earned about $23.3 million from sales of nearly 178,000 rooms in 2013, as tourism showed signs of recovery.

Ross Kennedy, Chief Executive, of Africa Albida Tourism said 2013 was a very good year for the lodge. He did not give figures for the whole group, whose portfolio includes the RCI Gold Crown Resort Lokuthula Lodges, also in Victoria Falls, and Ngoma Safari Lodge in the Chobe, Botswana.

State-owned carrier Air Zimbabwe is planning to lease two more Embraer jets to service its local and regional destinations, according to a government notice.

The airline last year entered into a lease agreement with Solenta Aviation for the mid-range Brazilian built aircraft which serviced the Harare-Bulawayo-Victoria Falls route at better value than offered by its older fleet of Boeing 737-200s which are more expensive to operate and maintain.

At least 23 African, Asian, European and South American countries will participate at the Harare International Carnival next month including Brazil, Malawi, the DRC, Egypt, Botswana, Nigeria and the UK. Several local groups comprising traditional, contemporary and corporate troupes will also be present.

Khami Ruins

Some years ago an initiative was started to publicise Zimbabwe’s varied cultural and historical resources. The country is indeed blessed with thousands of sites of interest – rock art sites, stone ruins and historical buildings, not to mention the vibrant arts sector and rich and diverse cultural traditions.

Despite this apparent wealth of heritage, until recently relatively little was available for the general public to assist in understanding this heritage, let alone guiding visitors (both local and international) around many of the major heritage sites. This absence of relevant and current literature has allowed errors and outdated interpretations to proliferate. Even professional guides have fallen short.