Regional stakeholders have described the 30 March launch of the Lufthansa Group’s Eurowings Discover flight from Frankfurt via Windhoek in Namibia into Victoria Falls City Zimbabwe three times a week as a major boost for tourism in the region.
A new vacation airline for the Lufthansa Group, Eurowings Discover has already experienced strong demand for its Frankfurt-Windhoek route. The airline is confident that it will bring significant numbers of international tourists from, amongst others, key European source markets for the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) region to Victoria Falls each week including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The Lufthansa Group’s General Manager for Southern and East Africa, Dr Andre Schulz, described the tag flight as an exciting addition to the airline’s existing route network, stating that the Lufthansa Group was excited to support the restart of the region’s tourism industry. ‘’The flight may land in Victoria Falls, but the broader KAZA region stands to benefit from introduction of the tag flight’’ Dr Shultz stated. Tourism industry stakeholders have welcomed the flight which comes when the tourism industry is in dire need of a catalyst for recovery, following the devastating impacts of COVID-19 on global tourism.
“We know that we will benefit because an anticipated three hundred tourists coming through to Victoria Falls each week will want to explore Livingstone, Chobe, Namibia, and Angola. So, for the region and tourism on the continent, introduction of the flight puts us ahead of the pack. An an airline like Eurowings Discover is going to be a game changer,” said Cresta Mowana General Manager Carol White.
KAZA Partner States have taken important strides towards modernising strategic aviation infrastructure as evidenced by upgrades, revamps, and expansions of international airports in Victoria Falls, Livingstone, and Kasane to improve tourist traffic and renew confidence in KAZA as a single but cross border and multifaceted tourist destination.
“We are excited about Eurowings Discover’s new service. We believe introduction of the new route will spur tourism recovery and growth. Increased accessibility into the KAZA region for international tourism source markets speaks to the KAZA vision which seeks to establish KAZA as a world-class transfrontier conservation and tourism destination area. KAZA’s five Partner States have also committed to adopt proactive measures to improve ease of movement and connectivity for travelers to and within the KAZA region,” said KAZA Executive Director Dr. Nyambe Nyambe.
