A new seasonal camp near Victoria Falls town is betting that the next premium traveller wants something quieter, more private and more deeply rooted in the bush.

“Victoria Falls has long been a leading incentive destination, but over time the availability of dedicated group inventory has diminished as the market shifted toward smaller boutique properties,” says Allan Johnston of Chiefs Tented Camps.

“What we’ve created at Jafuta is a private canvas camp where groups can come together in one place, in the bush, without compromise, close to the Falls, but completely immersed in nature.”

Victoria Falls Tented Camp by Chiefs Tented Camps is operating from March to September 2026 on the private Jafuta Reserve, just 15 minutes from Victoria Falls International Airport. Designed for exclusive-use group travel, the camp offers 40 luxury en-suite canvas tents for up to 80 guests sharing, with infrastructure that can be scaled for bespoke groups of more than 100.

The model speaks directly to the international incentive travel market, where companies reward top performers, clients or teams with carefully curated experiences beyond the simple hotel-and-conference-room business.

Incentive travel has become a global industry built around memory, exclusivity and access. Market estimates place the sector at about US$58.7 billion in 2025, with projections suggesting it could reach US$180.4 billion by 2035.

During peak season, Vic Falls boutique properties are often booked far ahead by leisure travellers and tour operators, leaving limited space for larger groups that want to stay together. A private camp gives such groups a self-contained wilderness base close to the Falls, but away from the usual tourist crush.

The Jafuta setting gives the camp its real texture. The reserve lies within a wildlife corridor long used by the region’s elephant population as they move between protected landscapes around Victoria Falls. Elephants and other wildlife continue to pass through the area, offering guests a bush experience unusually close to the airport and the Falls.

The camp is also positioning itself around elephant conservation, education and community engagement, with guests expected to access interactive elephant-focused experiences linked to ongoing conservation work.

Days are built around guided nature activities, photography, river-edge sundowners away from the main tourist circuit, wildlife encounters and cultural programming with local artists and storytellers.

Evenings return to the old grammar of safari: private fires, open-air dining and the slow darkening of the bush.

The wider timing is favourable. Zimbabwe recorded 384,561 international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2026, up 11% from the same period in 2025, while overseas markets rose 16%. In the third quarter of 2025, the country received 520,751 foreign visitors, with Victoria Falls Airport accounting for about 32% of air arrivals.

But the real test for this kind of product is not whether the tents are beautiful. It is whether luxury creates local value. The camp says it has prioritised Zimbabwean artisans and manufacturers in its décor and design elements, while waste and recycling are handled through certified local partners in Victoria Falls. It operates off-grid, with plans to gradually incorporate solar power.

That camp is offering another lane which Zimbabwe’s tourism sector needs to deepen: high-value experiences that connect visitors to local craft, conservation knowledge, culture and community.