Victoria Falls launches DMP

Victoria Falls, 17th February 2023: We Are Victoria Falls was launched today - Global Tourism Resilience
Day - at a press conference. The event was held at the local community cornerstone the Three Monkeys
Restaurant and Bar in Victoria Falls. We Are Victoria Falls is the destination management partnership for
the destination.

The partnership was announced by the Chair of the Board, Mrs Barbara Murasiranwa-Hughes. She said
‘It is a great pleasure to announce that the partnership was formally constituted in December, and we
have the strong support of six founding partners’. These founding partners are the City Council,
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency, Airports Company
Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority and the Tourism Business Council of
Zimbabwe. Ms Murasiranwa-Hughes added ‘these founders have worked tirelessly to research, design
and create this partnership – and they have committed to financially support its core operations’.

The partnership will work as a coordinating entity for tourism in Victoria Falls, pulling all stakeholders
together to improve the destination for visitors, residents, businesses and communities. The mandate of
the partnership includes designing and implementing activities that support better management of the
destination, as well as marketing the destination. Its role has been directly informed by extensive
stakeholder consultation during 2022.

At the event, Zimbabwean artist Stanley Sibanda said he had long been inspired by Victoria Falls, the
nature, wildlife, people and place – and revealed a creative artwork that will be made into a poster for
the destination. He said ‘I first came to Victoria Falls as an art student and I have been painting the falls
ever since. In my work I have tried to illustrate the core values of this place, to show the balance that is
needed between all the elements. A video of his process is shown here; https://youtu.be/okA9mGzkyQs

‘We want this partnership to be inclusive to all stakeholders, to be transparent, accountable and deliver
results’ said the newly appointed partnership director Mr. Nqabutho Moyo. ‘This is an exciting public-
private opportunity for us, and we look forward to working with more partners, our members, and other
stakeholders.’

Following the launch of the partnership, Mrs Murasiranwa-Hughes also announced a new partnership
between We Are Victoria Falls and Cape Town Tourism. These two destination management
organisations have agreed to embark on a joint marketing program that cross-promotes the two
destinations along the theme of ‘the Ultimate African Adventure’. Working with key airlines and private
sector operators, the campaign will be launched in 2023 to attract shared tourist markets to visit both
places.

‘A huge congratulations to We Are Victoria Falls for bringing their vision to life as this is no small feat,
and we look forward to collaboratively exploring ways to position and uplift tourism within an African
context, by developing ways to inspire travel between our two destinations and then share any learnings
and successes with the rest of the continent,’ said Cape Town Tourism Chief Marketing Executive Leigh
Dawber.

Ms Winnie Muchanyuka, CEO of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority added ‘Cape Town and Victoria Falls are
two iconic destinations in southern Africa and many tourists have us at the top of their dream bucket list.
This partnership gives us the opportunity to forge a strong relationship’. Mr. Tawanda Gusha, CEO of
Airports Company Zimbabwe said ‘working with our private sector partners to support the connectivity
between these two cities is key. We are committed to continuing our successful air services development
program and supporting this important route.’

About We Are Victoria Falls: We Are Victoria Falls is the destination management partnership for
Victoria Falls. It was established in late 2022 under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment,
Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, and the Victoria Falls City Council. It is a public-private
association with a mission to support the sustainable development of tourism by coordinating all of the
elements that make up the destination. We Are Victoria Falls has been supported by the Zimbabwe
Destination Development Program – a technical assistance project of the MECTHI and IFC, with
additional funding from Japan. https://wearevictoriafalls.com/

About Global Tourism Resilience Day: Global Tourism Resilience Day (17 February), proclaimed by the
General Assembly in resolution A/RES/77/269, aims to emphasize the need to foster resilient tourism
development to deal with shocks, taking into account the vulnerability of the tourism sector to
emergencies. It is also a call for action for Member States to develop national strategies for
rehabilitation after disruptions, including through private-public cooperation and the diversification of
activities and products. https://www.un.org/en/observances/tourism-resilience-day