The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) has once again caused an outcry for tourism industry stakeholders concerned over the fate of the Mana Pools World Heritage site by asking stakeholders to ratify four new 24-bed accommodation facilities in the park.
Three of these proposed lodges would be located along the Zambezi River, while one lodge would be located further inland, say reports.
This follows on the heels of a proposed development by Protea Hotels on the Zambian side of the Zambezi which has since been put off.
In a report by Wild Zambezi News, there are several reasons cited as to why industry members are troubled with this latest development. These include:
- Only small, inland developments are supposedly allowed in terms of the park management plan which was recently completed with input from relevant stakeholders.
- The very same management plan details that the park’s appeal lies in its exclusivity and hence the introduction of extra accommodation in the park could destroy this appeal.
- The plans for these lodges have garnered criticism in that it may be short-term solution for the money woes the ZPWMA is said to be experiencing.
At the time of publishing this article, Tourism Update Online had not been able to contact either ZPWMA or Mana Pools National Park for comment.
To read the Wild Zambezi News, click here.
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