The new government in Zimbabwe is finding out that the outpouring of affection it garnered after the overthrow of the authoritarian Robert Mugabe regime will not open all doors. The Tourism Minister, Prisca Mupfumira, has seen the limits of the euphoria.
Mrs. Mupfumira recently approached British Airways, BA, requesting the possibility of direct flights between London and Harare but was turned down by the UK flag carrier.
The CEO of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, ZTA, Karikoga Kaseke, said that BA officials pointed out that the route does not have enough business class potential to complement the undoubted economy class possibilities.
Zimbabwe’s tourism industry used to be heavily patronized by the British but visitor numbers collapsed after Robert Mugabe caused relations between the two countries to sour at the start of the last decade.
But the new Emmerson Mnangagwa administration in Zimbabwe does not see why it cannot try to tap from the lucrative British market. This explains why it went to BA to discuss ways of resuming service after abandoning the route for decades due to mounting debts.
The ZTA boss confirmed the BA approach at the recent Zimndaba investment conference which was held in London. As Mr. Kaseke explained, “BA is saying that from their perspective, they see a lot of potential for economy class travelers but when they look at business class possibilities and try to balance with their business model, the balance does not quite work out”.
