The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has finished refurbishing most of its lodges ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament to be held in June in South Africa.

The acting director-general, Mr Vitalis Chadenga, told Mirror that the authority had also finished building exclusive lodges in the Gonarezhou National Park, which is under the Greater Limpopo Trans-frontier Park, jointly shared by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

"We are very confident that 2010 is going to be a better year as we are overwhelmed with inquiries from within the region and from abroad," he said. Chadenga said some hunters from abroad had registered to come and explore the national parks, with some paying deposits. "This shows that the season is going to be jam-packed with activities," he said.

He said although the authority was looking forward to the soccer tournament, its preparations went beyond that event. "We believe that there is life after the soccer tournament," he said.

Chadenga said the authority would hold the Zambezi Valley Hunting Camps next month, where professional hunters would pay fees to hunt trophy animals. "The Zambezi Valley Hunting Camp is quite promising as many hunters have already started paying their deposits to be part of the event," he said.

Zimbabwe boasts a wide range of rare animal species and historic sites which people from far-off places travel to view.