Univisa delays cost Zambia revenue, says trade
The KAZA univisa, which allows travellers to enter both Zimbabwe and Zambia on a single visa, remains suspended despite appeals from the Zimbabwean travel trade to reinstate the visa.
“Zambian authorities maintain that they have run out of paper allocated for Immigration by the UN,” explains Emmanuel Fundira, Group CE of Astoc Leisure Group. However, he adds that the industry view is that it is “a lame excuse”. There has been loss of revenue to Zambia in terms of net tourism inflows resulting from cross-border pick-ups, according to Fundira.
The CEO of the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism,Paul Matamisa, also told Tourism Update that the univisa had been suspended for a few months due to non-availability of forms on the Zambian side. “We understand from Zimbabwean officials that negotiations have been in progress for reconvening the system.”
