The hunting season, currently underway in the southern African nation, is experiencing “exponential growth” from traditional markets including the US, Emmanuel Fundira, president of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe, said today.
Revenues are forecast to be 15% higher this year than the US$100 million earned before the pandemic, Fundira said.
The bounce back will help the industry recover from the freezing of global travel in 2020 as governments shut down borders to contain the virus. The lack of revenue made it difficult to sustain wilderness areas, villages and animals.
Hunting is expecting to lure 10% to 15% more people in 2022 than three years ago, even as travel from central and eastern Europe has dried up, according to Fundira. If the Ukraine conflict becomes even more protracted there may be further declines, he said.
To protect against future disruptions, the industry is working closely with tour operators to provide charter and private-air transport for “high-end clients,” Fundira said.
Zimbabwe offers hunts for animals including, elephant, buffalo, lion and leopard. In addition to paying for the license to track them down, tourists pay professional hunters to guide them and have their trophies treated by taxidermists and exported home.
Elephants make up the bulk of the nation’s hunting licenses, of which 500 are available this year, according to Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. They cost US$10 000 each.- Bloomberg
(73 VIEWS)
The United States lost its place as the most influential global power in Africa last…
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor John Mushayavanhu says street money changers who cash in…
The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) has announced an ambitious long-term plan to turn the…
Zimbabwe’s new currency today fell against the United States for the first time since its…
Zimbabwe’s new currency has wiped out a more than 330% gain on the stock market…
One bane of recent public discourse in Zimbabwe is not only that it is never…