HARARE – Zimbabwe’s premier tourist resort Victoria Falls stands to lose its world heritage status unless the country’s tourism officials and their Zambian counterparts urgently submit a status report to the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The report that a senior Zimbabwean tourism official told the media was already eight years overdue, is meant to apprise UNESCO of the conditions at the mighty waterfall that forms a major tourist attraction for both Zambia and Zimbabwe.

"Technical teams in both countries are working overtime and we hope to complete it within two weeks,” said the official who spoke on condition that he was not named because he was not authorised to talk to the press.

“It is, however, quite clear that neither Zimbabwe nor Zambia has paid the matter the necessary attention, despite repeated requests from UNESCO," he said adding that the two governments are in a "mad rush" to finish the report that has triggered panic in the two neighbours’ governments.

Over the past eight years, UNESCO has given large amounts of money to both the Zimbabwean and the Zambian governments and offered technical help to complete the project which is supposed to address issues including threats to the natural beauty of the area, for instance development on both sides of the border.

The Victoria Falls that lies on the Zambezi River is officially ranked one of the world’s natural wonders and is a prime tourist destination in southern Africa.

Zimbabwe which is struggling to revive its tourism industry that has been in the doldrums over the past decade in the aftermath of President Robert Mugabe’s chaotic and often violent land redistribution exercise that attracted negative publicity for the country to scare away foreign tourists, stands to lose more if UNESCO goes on to relegate Victoria Falls.

"One can only imagine what the economic damage to Zimbabwe would be if this mighty waterfall were to lose its status, especially with the 2010 World Cup just around the corner,” the tourism official said.

Zimbabwe, expecting economic benefits from the World Cup to be held in South Africa, has been busy trying to spruce up tourist destinations, hotels and stadiums to lure World Cup teams and visitors.

The Tourism Ministry has submitted a US$28 million budget to treasury for the sector’s needs during the June World Cup finals. – ZimOnline