The resort city of Victoria Falls is looking beyond its famous waterfall as it seeks to deepen international partnerships, with South Korea emerging as a potential partner in the city’s drive to become a smart and sustainable tourism destination.

The possibilities came under discussion on Friday when Korean Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Jae-Kyung Park, paid a courtesy call on Victoria Falls Mayor, His Worship Councillor Prince Thuso Moyo.

The meeting placed a strong focus on tourism promotion, city-to-city cooperation and the possibility of establishing twinning arrangements between Victoria Falls and local authorities in South Korea.
For Victoria Falls, such a partnership could open another door into the Asian tourism market while creating opportunities for knowledge exchange, investment and stronger people-to-people connections.

Ambassador Park, who was accompanied by Third Secretary and Vice Consul Sungmin Hong, Consular Assistant Sarah Lee and Hankuk Tour chief executive Soo Kim, arrived in Victoria Falls on Thursday and held discussions with business and tourism stakeholders before meeting the Mayor.

He said the engagement had highlighted the importance of working together to unlock the untapped potential between the two countries.

“Collaboration and partnership is very important for building bilateral relations,” said Ambassador Park.

He also congratulated Mayor Moyo on the progress made by the city since 2023 and its contribution towards the country’s Vision 2030 agenda.

The Ambassador said his delegation’s engagement with local tourism and business players had been productive, particularly in discussing tourism and the protection of Korean visitors.

“All Koreans who visit Zimbabwe also visit Victoria Falls,” he said.

According to Ambassador Park, Zimbabwe attracted about 1.8 million tourists last year, with approximately 300 000 travelling to Victoria Falls.

However, the number of Korean visitors remains comparatively low, with only about 15 000 Koreans visiting Zimbabwe despite millions of South Koreans travelling internationally.

For him, the gap represents an opportunity rather than a setback.

“30 million Koreans travel but to have only 15 000 visiting Zimbabwe is small, hence promotion is important,” he said.
He called for stronger destination marketing, including cooperation between the Zimbabwean and Korean governments, tourism roadshows and possible ministry-to-ministry memoranda of understanding.

“You deserve to attract more people and the City and Central Government should partner, the Embassy is keen to work with you,” said Ambassador Park.

The proposed cooperation could therefore extend beyond simply attracting tourists.
A relationship between Victoria Falls and Korean cities could provide a platform for exchanging ideas around smart-city development, sustainable tourism, urban management and investment.

Mayor Moyo said Victoria Falls was on a growth trajectory and that international partnerships fitted naturally into the city’s identity as a global tourism destination.

“As a City, one of our vision areas is to interact with tourists because we are a tourism town,” he said.

Victoria Falls already has twinning arrangements with local authorities in countries including South Africa and Botswana, and the Mayor said the city was keen to expand that network into Asia.

“We would love to have sister local authorities in Korea,” he said.

The Mayor also pointed to the arrival of international hotel brands as evidence of growing confidence in the resort city, saying new developments would strengthen its tourism offering.

Finance Director Nerville Ndlovu, who represented the Town Clerk, said the city had the facilities and attractions needed to take advantage of new partnerships.

“We always seek opportunities and partnerships, and if we get partnership with Cities in Korea, that can cement our relationship,” he said.

The discussions come at a time when Victoria Falls is increasingly positioning itself not merely as a destination built around one of the world’s great natural wonders, but as an international tourism and investment hub.

A formal city-to-city relationship with a Korean local authority could give that ambition a new dimension, bringing together tourism, business, technology and cultural exchange.
For a city whose biggest attraction draws visitors from across the globe, the next challenge may be ensuring that more of those visitors particularly from fast-growing international travel markets such as South Korea know why Victoria Falls deserves a place on their itinerary.