Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management (ZimParks) yesterday launched Sikato Bay Lion Park in Masvingo at the base of Lake Mutirikwi, The Herald reports.
The Sikati Lion Bay which is the 3rd in Zimbabwe after the one in Chinhoyi and Matobo Hills is aimed at boosting tourism in Zimbabwe’s oldest city.
Speaking at the launch event, Tourism Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu praised ZimParks and said:
The official opening of Sikato Lion Park comes on the backdrop of the negative effects of Covid-19 pandemic which we estimate to reduce tourism arrivals to the country by over 60 percent,” he said.
However, regardless of this apparent setback, the tourism sector needs to evolve to regain and survive Covid-19 effects.
The major tourism activity here in Masvingo has been the visit to the Great Zimbabwe Monuments, which takes approximately three to five hours. In the absence of water-based activities in Lake Mutirikwi, there has not been much activity to retain tourism interest, hence the need to come with new innovative tourism products
Ndlovu lamented the underutilization of other water bodies in Masvingo and said:
It is undoubted that Masvingo is endowed with many tourism assets such as the Gonarezhou National Park, the Great Zimbabwe and a number of water bodies which remain untapped for recreational and water-based tourism activities.
Chief among the underutilised water bodies is Manyuchi Dam and Tugwi Mukosi.
The Tourism sector has been opening in phased stages after months in lockdown due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
More: The Herald
