Zim-Zam univisa `coming soon`

Source: Tourism Update, 19/07/2016

According to Chilala Mayanda Habasimbi, Zambia Ministry of Tourism
Acting Principle Tourism and Development Research Officer, the univisa
between Zimbabwe and Zambia will soon be implemented.


The univisa between Zimbabwe and Zambia, successfully piloted between
2014 and 2015, will soon be fully implemented, according to Chilala
Mayanda Habasimbi, Zambia Ministry of Tourism Acting Principle Tourism
and Development Research Officer.


"We are hoping soon. I can`t give you an exact date because Zambia is
going into elections but I`m hoping everything moves quicker, despite
the elections," said Mayanda Habasimbi. "The memorandum of
understanding is almost cleared." He said there was a need to see how
the project could continue forward following the ending of the pilot
project on December 31, 2015.


Francis Ngwenya, President Zimbabwe Council of Tourism, said he hoped
it would be implemented quite urgently. "But unfortunately it is
something that has to be signed off on both sides of the Zambezi
River, and it`s not just the ministries of tourism but also for the
immigration counterparts to sign off.


"The last time we followed up, there was an agreement but it`s now a
matter of getting the paperwork and the signatures."


Thomas Dhliwayo, Operations Manager – Jenman Zimbabwe Safaris, said
operators were told that the univisa project had been resumed at a
tourism meeting two weeks ago. "Immigration officials are now just
waiting for the visa stamps and, once started, we will be
updated."


Zambian Minister of Tourism and Arts Jean Kapata said last year that
the initial univisa project between Zimbabwe and Zambia had been very
successful and it would be extended <
http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/article/49783/Univisa-to-be-extended-to-Namibia-Botswana-and-Mozambique>
to other SADC countries including Namibia, Botswana and
Mozambique.


However, it`s unclear when Botswana will be added to the univisa.
"When the initial univisa was launched in Zambia and Zimbabwe, we were
under the impression that, within six months or less, Botswana would
be the first of the SADC countries to join and also become part of
that," said Ngwenya. Mayanda Habasimbi said the univisa between
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana would depend on the authorisation of all
three countries and was unable to say when talks with Botswana would
begin.


"We would love to have Botswana, and we believe there`s also interest
shared by Angola to be included, but we haven`t had any information
that there`s an agreement to that," said Ngwenya.