SA Economy Nous

Zambia profiting from Zimbabwe’s misfortune?

January 26, 2009 · Leave a Comment

The Zambian Economist steers us towards this story from the Washington Post on the impact of the deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe on tourist activity at the Victoria Falls. The article suggests a positive spillover for the town of Livingstone on the Zambian side of the border as tourists choose to view the falls from that side rather than from the Zimbabwean town of Victoria Falls.  As a personal anecdote, I recall when travelling to Victoria Falls from Windhoek by bus in 2004 that we stopped first at Livingstone (where almost all of the tourists disembarked) before proceeding on to Victoria Falls. I understand that in previous years, Victoria Falls was the first point of call.  I also recall that already then the main entrepreneurial activity was street forex trader. If I have it right, the exchange rate at the time was 8000 -10000zim dollars to 1USD, I shudder to think what it is now.

Categories: development · foreign aid · trade

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