via De-militarise Grand Reef airstrip – The Zimbabwean 08 October 2015 by Marcus Tawona
Tourism players in Manicaland province have called on government to demilitarize Grand Reef Airport 22 km west of Mutare in an effort to make the province accessible to international tourists.
Speaking at a Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) consultative recently, Inns of Zimbabwe chairperson Gordon Addams said it was more expensive and time consuming for tourists to access the eastern province by road.
“This is slowing down the potential of revamping the tourism sector. It is our wish that government demilitarise and consider transforming Grand Reef into an international airport. By doing so we are assured that the benefits for the province are massive,” said Addams.
ZTA Chief, Karikoga Kaseke said he would take the matter up with the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe. He said ZTA was working round the clock to ensure that Zimbabwe regained its status as the best tourism destination in Africa, claiming that Zimbabwe had regained lost ground in the traditional market of Europe and North America. “We are now about 50 percent of 1999 figures, which had gone almost to zero,” he said.
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