WHEN LOCAL IS LAKA! The case of Livingstone tour operators in the wake of COVID-19

I RECENTLY had a friend visit me at the office for a chat. As we stood, outside, talking, my colleague was approached by someone he knows.

Their conversation, of very few words caught my attention.

“Bakamba, muchitika bwanji, njala kaili. Shaniko ili yonse [loosely translated as: Big man, what’s up, I am hungry, assist me with any amount],” he said.

My friend who is operations manager at a Livingstone based tour operating company that offers adrenaline activities responded: “I am broke young man. Have you seen any white people in town? If you don’t see any white man, it means I don’t have money.”

At that point, it hit me.

Truth be told, Livingstone, being the tourist capital, is one of the worst hit in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak which has since been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Most tour operating companies, lodge owners and businesses have cut down on their workforce due to loss of business, compounded by the virus that is fast spreading and has claimed many lives and left equally many either infected and battling for their lives or indeed affected.

Addressing stakeholders at a Zesco organised stakeholders meeting here recently, Livingstone mayor Eugine Mapuwo sounded the warning of the looming job cuts in the hospitality industry.

He said he has been overwhelmed with reports of cancelled bookings. “Bookings are being cancelled by tour operators in view of this virus that is ravaging the world. Tour operators and lodges are on the verge of collapsing and this is very bad,” he said.

Indeed, the effects have been felt - and the hospitality industry has been hard hit.

Of course, there are trickle down effects which I believe everyone will feel.

Coming back to my friend's comment, this should therefore be an eye opener to tour operators or indeed everyone in the hospitality industry and tourism in general to not only concentrate on foreign nationals but tap into the huge local tourists pool.

Truth is there a lot of Zambians who would like to indulge themselves in the many activities that the tourism industry has to offer - but are kept away because of the huge costs.

Just recently, someone passed a comment in social media of how companies in Livingstone will charge as high as US$168 for an activity that will only last for a minute or less - whether Zambian or not, you have to part away with that much for you to do the activity.

Simply said, the target, for most of these tour operators is, by large, foreign nationals. Clearly, not many Zambians can afford to part away with such kinds of money. Make no mistake however, others do, but they are not many.

Whereas it is understood that businesses have their eyes set on profits, it will do them more good if their business development managers come up with enticing packages that will lure and tempt local people into indulging in these activities.

In the wake of the deadly coronavirus that has sent world economies into disarray, I think it also comes as an eye opener that sometimes, looking within could be the solution much as we appreciate the role that foreign nationals play on boosting revenue.

That way, with or without white people [foreign tourists] in town, at least you could be assured of some money.

The author is a Livingstone based Zambia Daily Mail correspondent.

COVID-19: Be well informed and guard against misinformation before more people are duped

NDANGWA JOHN ANDREWS MWITTAH

IT is sad that in the wake of something as serious as the coronavirus, an outbreak that was recently declared a global pandemic, people could still be making fun of it and other people on social media.

There is a video that has gone viral and making rounds on social media of an elderly woman, old enough to be my grandmother who was swindled by some unscrupulous people somewhere in Southern province.

The named woman - albeit sensing the danger that surrounds us went to the market to buy hand sanitisers and hand washing soap to protect herself and her family from the virus that has claimed many lives and left others battling for theirs.

Instead of being sold what she wanted, the woman was instead sold some dish-washing liquid formula and sponge. Who does that?

In the video, the woman who was clearly robbed was seen being mocked by those that were taking the video. In all fairness, this is not the time to start making fun of this disease. It is high time Zambians took this pandemic seriously.

It calls for a multi-sectoral approach, as clearly, there is a lot of sensitisation that is needed out there. The authorities, traditional leaders, civic leaders, church leaders and indeed everyone that can, must take it upon themselves to go flat out and educate the people on the dangers of the disease, how to prevent it and also the recommended items needed to help combat the pandemic - here, the media must also be proactive in sending out accurate information to curb the misinformation being spread.

Speaking of misinformation, there is also word going round on social media advising people not to use the face masks donated to Africa by the Jack Ma Foundation saying they are infected with the virus.

Clearly, these are falsehoods.

Those of us privileged enough to have access to accurate information, we must also ensure that we share it with relatives and friends that may not be privy to such information, especially those in rural areas.

From the numbers that are coming from the world's biggest economies, it goes to show that as Africa, we are not ready or adequately prepared for this virus. We must therefore take it upon ourselves to do everything possible to curb the spread of the virus.

Government agencies such as the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS), Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) and other like minded agencies must also ensure that these products being sold are of the recommended standard. There has been reports of retailers cashing in on unauthorised substandard products to desperate and unsuspecting people, such as the old woman in question.

Others are also diluting the liquid soap and hand sanitisers - all of which will come to an exercise in futility regarding the fight against the coronavirus. The pandemic is real, it is high time we took the measures put up by the Government seriously.

Ndangwa Mwittah is a Livingstone based Zambia Daily Mail correspondent.

WET FACE OF VICTORIA FALLS IS HERE AGAIN: Foreign media reported that the falls may dry up

COULD the Victoria Falls dry up? That was the question BBC’s Stephen Sackur and Sky News’ Alex Crawford posed last December in their documentaries about Zambia in which they claimed “the effects of severe drought and climate change are having an impact on one of the world’s great natural wonder, Victoria Falls.”

The shows, which were aired and carried by many other western media organisations who included the Telegraph, Reuters, Guardian and The Independent, had incensed local tour operators, saying it had caused “substantial damage to the local tourism industry”, prompting them to gather at the falls and take pictures to dispel the notion that Victoria Falls may be drying up.

In fact, soon after, a hashtag #VictoriaFallsIsNotDry was generated and made quite a number of rounds on social media.

Two months later, the Victoria Falls which many feared would soon dry up, has ‘awakened’ and is, again, gushing out abundant waters into the Zambezi River from its many tributaries. But even with all the stories that were said about the falls, it didn’t stop British author Val Morrison from visiting it, with her husband of 36 years, Keith.

She says she did not believe the stories she heard about the falls drying up. “I didn’t believe it even for a bit. The moment I read the stories, I said to myself, this is all but just fake news,” says Mrs Morrison.

The couple which has two children back home in England were in the country for the first time.

“This is our first time in Zambia and it is also the first time that we are seeing the Victoria Falls and I must say that I am really amazed by what I have seen here today. It is simply beautiful,” adds Mr Morrison.

The couple which was staying in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, said they enjoyed the view from the Zambian side because it was wetter and had a closer view than the Zimbabwean side. “We got wetter than we thought and we are glad to have viewed it from both sides. This view here is better because you get the noise more here than from the other side,” says Mr Morrison.

They were not the only ones at the falls. Australian Ben Lupu, a flight attendant at Virgin Airlines was equally thrilled to view the Victoria Falls. He too was seeing it for the first time. “It is very powerful, beautiful, and definitely not dry,” he says. “It is very wet and I would definitely encourage people to come and see it for themselves.”

Mr Lupu was also charmed by Zambia’s hospitality. “The people here are very friendly and happy people. They are always smiling,” he says. Zambia is the fifth Southern Africa country he has been to.

Make no mistake though, even local tourists have also been trooping to the Victoria Falls. One such tourist being Emmanuel Mukuka and his family from Lusaka.

Mr Mukuka having seen the falls countless times, it was his daughter Mary’s first time - and she was impressed. “This is amazing,” she says. Mr Mukuka said what prompted him to take his family there was the news that there was no water at the falls - albeit he wanted to satisfy his curiosity.

“We were not carried aback by the reports. In fact, it is the reports that somehow prompted me to undertake this trip,” says Mr Mukuka who was in the company of his wife and two daughters. I would like to do it again, because this is a memorable moment and experience for me,” says Mr Mukuka’s daughter Mary.

Susana Manas, 35, is a Portuguese biologist, who, like all the others, was at Victoria Falls to appreciate its beauty.  She was left amused and had lots of praises to describe it. “It’s beautiful, it’s huge, it’s magnificent,” she says. “When I was coming here, I wasn’t expecting to find this much water because of the stories I read online about it. I have viewed it from both sides and I am short of words to describe it, it’s simply beautiful,” she says.

Ms Manas says people should find time to visit the Victoria Falls and see for themselves as opposed to believing what they read. “As for me, I recommend it more to people,” she says.

Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienko on her recent visit to the country visited the falls. She was also impressed. She said the world heritage site and one of the seven natural wonders of the world reflects rare natural beauty.

“It is no accident that UNESCO considers the Victoria Falls as a world heritage site. It is hard to describe what we feel when we see this miraculous site. And I am sure that following the visit of our delegation, more and more Russian tourists will also come to see this wonderful site,” she said in an interview.

She was visibly awed at the sight of the falling water and said the natural beauty of the falls is complemented by the “amazing” hospitality of Zambians. Mrs Matvienko who was partially wet from the water spray at the falls, later signed the visitors’ book at the Victoria Falls exit in Russian which interprets as follows: “It's a true wonder of the world. A great sight, a treasure of Zambia and the planet! I am glad to have the opportunity to see it.”

Around November and December, data from the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) showed water flow at its lowest since 1995, and well under the long-term average. President Edgar Lungu called it “a stark reminder of what climate change is doing to our environment”.

Scientists are cautious about categorically blaming climate change for the different facets of the falls. 

What is apparent is that there are always seasonal variations in water levels at the Victoria Falls.

Harald Kling, a hydrologist at engineering firm Poyry and a Zambezi River staffer says, “Sometimes it’s difficult to say this is because of climate change because droughts have always occurred”. “If they become more frequent, then you can start saying: OK, this may be climate change.”

He said early climate models had predicted more frequent dry years in the Zambezi basin, but that “what was surprising was that it [drought] has been so frequent” – the last drought was only three years ago. As the river got hotter, 437m cubic metres of water were evaporating every second.

Most tourists that visited the falls from October to January stared into a mostly dry chasm normally gushing with white water - a phenomenon that is not strange, according to Victoria Falls site manager, John Zulu.

He says Victoria is the only falls in the world with two faces. “This falls has two faces and we have packaged the activities as such, to cater for both faces.” He says it is during the dry season that geologists like to visit the falls to not only admire the rock formation, but also conduct geological studies.

“There is nothing wrong. What we should, however, do is to market these two faces because each face comes with its own activities,” he said in an interview recently.

The high water season runs from the second week of December to August, whereas the low water season at the falls is from September to December with the climax being April and May.

This article was also published in the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper.