Zimbabwe wants more South Africans on its side of the falls, and it's going about it the practical way: winning over the people who actually sell holidays. The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has been running familiarisation tours of Victoria Falls for South African travel agents, partnering with South African Airways and local operators to show them exactly what they'd be packaging for clients.
The idea is straightforward. Agents who have walked the falls trail, cruised the Zambezi at sunset and seen the hotels up close are far more likely to recommend Zimbabwe to customers booking an international trip. An earlier three-day FAM tour in March 2025 covered hotels, a guided visit to the falls themselves, a sunset cruise on the Zambezi, game drives and helicopter flights over the gorge - essentially the full highlight reel of a Victoria Falls holiday.
The timing makes sense. Zimbabwe recorded 1,613,901 international arrivals in 2024, up just one percent on the previous year's 1,602,781, so growth is flat rather than booming. The tourism sector still brought in an estimated US$1.2 billion (roughly R19.86 billion) in 2024, but Zimbabwe wants a bigger share of the region's travel spend, and South Africa is its most obvious nearby market.
Getting there is easy too. SAA's route network connects Victoria Falls with Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, so the trip works whether you're flying from the Highveld or the coast. And the falls are only the headline act: Hwange National Park, Lake Kariba, Matobo National Park and the Great Zimbabwe Monuments round out a country with serious range for safari lovers and history buffs alike.
Why should a traveller care? Because this push tends to translate into better-packaged deals. When agents know a destination first-hand, itineraries get sharper, add-ons like helicopter flights and river cruises get bundled in, and prices often become more competitive as agents build direct relationships with local suppliers. If you've been putting off Victoria Falls because it seemed like a long-haul-only affair, the reality is it's a short regional flight from most major South African cities.
The strategy is also a nudge: cross-border holidays within Southern Africa are often cheaper and less hassle than people assume. A long weekend of falls, sunset cruise and a game drive in Hwange is very doable from Johannesburg.
