Last minute bookings are being turned away from some of the hotels and lodges in Victoria Falls as they are fully booked from the 19th of December to the 4th of January next year.

The trend has, however, changed swiftly with locals constituting 25 percent of the visitors compared to the previous years where they have constituted between 10 and 12 percent during the festive season.

This year’s bookings have seen some local operators pitching some tents to accommodate those who will have failed to secure accommodation.

Tourism and Travel Executive Mr Clement Mukwasi says the bookings are not only in hotels but have extended to all the activities, adding the new trend is showing an emerging new culture among Zimbabweans who are now embracing the practice of visiting tourist attractions during public holidays.

“We have almost doubled the people who are coming through as domestic tourists but of those that are coming though, very few are coming in as single tourists. They are coming in as small groups of families, family of five, family of 10 and in some cases in groups of 20.

“We also have churches coming and the proportion is therefore different from those that we have been having in the past years,” said Mukwasi.

Tourism and travel executive Victor Sibanda noted that the trend is being attributed to aggressive marketing by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, individual tour operators and the political stability, which has seen the country becoming a trusted destination globally.

“Zimbabwe has eventually become that trusted place and one of the best destinations for people to come out and celebrate their festive season and of late tourism has been on the positive we haven`t had any controversial issues that have been coming in our direction,” Sibanda said.

The last three days of the year are even worse off in terms of bookings as people will be thronging the resort for the fifth edition of the Jameson Victoria Falls Carnival which will feature a secret bush party, train party and a new year’s bash featuring Black Coffee, Amara Brown and Micasa among others.