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Zimbabwe to Host Africa’s Version of Disneyland?

Zimbabwe to Host Africa’s Version of Disneyland?

Upwards of $300 million dollars will go into the construction of Disneyland in Zimbabwe, Tourist Minister Walter Mzembi said in a BBC report. Inflation that has harshly affected the country has in turn incited ideas which experts are questioning.

Zimbabwe’s Disneyland would be an attempt to restore the nation’s tourism industry while diminishing lingering notions of corruption.

“It’s a wake-up call for us…we must build a new tourism facility with an impact,” Mzembi told BBC.

Located within an attractive resort town, Zimbabwe’s Disneyland would be situated near Victoria Falls, where according to BBC, the government is prepping to investing $150 million in an airport.

“We think it should be modeled along the size and the kind of vision that is on Disneyland, including hotels, entertainment parks, restaurants, conferencing facilities. This is the vision and we need people who can run with it,” he said.

BBC reported that earlier this year, Zimbabwe experienced a 17 percent increase in tourist visits. With a stable political and economic forecast, the industry has the potential to contribute 15 percent to the country’s GDP.

Expediting tourism industry success even further, BBC noted that Mzembi spoke about establishing free zones where even those who aren’t residents of the country “can open bank accounts,” he said at the UN World Tourism Organisation general assembly.

Experts opposed to the theme park argued that tourists come to Zimbabwe to experience Africa in its authenticity — free of western-influenced activities and attractions.

“It sounds like a crazy idea to put a money-making theme park beside one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World,” Africa specialist Lisa Grainger said in a Telegraph report. “It would be like building a casino beside the pyramids. The reason people visit the falls is because it’s unspoilt and natural: it’s a glorious part of the Earth. Not because they want to buy candy-floss and be immersed in an American-style theme park.”

Though at the assembly Mzembi revealed that nearly 3,000 acres of land is available for the Disneyland park, legitimacy of the country’s safety — and faith in the project’s completion — is limited.