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fine-tune Zimbabwe and Zambia’s preparedness to co-host the organisation’s general assembly, scheduled for August 24 to 29.

The technical team, headed by UNWTO Relations and Services executive director Mr Zoltan Smoggy, is expected to arrive in Livingstone, Zambia, on Wednesday June 26 before crossing over to Zimbabwe on Thursday and Friday to meet stakeholders and fine tune the co-hosting process and synchronise it with the Zambian aspect.

The technical visit comes 60 days before the mega event and hardly a month after Zimbabwe and Zambia were given the final endorsement by the UNWTO executive council at a meeting held in Serbia.

Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Walter Mzembi yesterday said the team was not coming to inspect progress but to fine tune the hosting process.

“That we are going to host the event is no longer speculation.

“It is ours. We were given full endorsement in Serbia and this four-member technical team is simply coming to help us fine tune our processes.

“Once we got the endorsement, it meant the deal was sealed,’’ he said.

The technical team’s visit also comes hardly a week after the Zimbabwean Government Inter-Ministerial Committee concluded its assessments of the facilities in Victoria Falls.

The assessment began with a tour of the current renovations being undertaken by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe at Victoria Falls Airport terminal, then the road works and tourist facilities.

The airport refurbishments will see the terminal having ATM facilities, among others modern services, and temporary shelters to handle increased arrivals for the General Assembly.

Secretary for Transport, Communication and Infrastructural Development, Mr Munesu Munodawafa, yesterday said Government was satisfied with the progress made at the airport as well as the town centre where road rehabilitation has almost been completed.

“In short, we are ready to host the UNWTO. Everything is in order. In terms of readiness, we can safely say the airport is ready for the conference and with the current renovations taking place absolutely everything is on course.

“The facelift will end on the 6th of August.

“Currently, the airport is handling about 500 visitors per day and there is nothing that can make us fail to increase UNWTO delegates, even if all of them come through Zimbabwe and no one goes to Zambia,” he said.

The airport refurbishment has seen the construction of a 4 000-metre runway and supporting infrastructure to accommodate wide bodies aircraft at a cost of US$202 million sourced from the Export-Import Bank of China.

Hotels, restaurants and stakeholders in Victoria Falls have also embarked on massive facelift and in line with Government preparations.

This is the first ever time when the UNWTO general assembly is being held in Southern Africa, and the second ever time it has been held on African soil, after Senegal hosted it in 2007.

More than 1 200 delegates, among them ministers of tourism from 186 countries, captains of the tourism industry, tourist wholesalers and stakeholders are expected at the Victoria Falls.