Bulawayo needs more investment for 5-star hotels

BULAWAYO province needs more investment in the construction of five-star hotels and restaurants with huge capacities, as it strives to meet the growing needs and demands of tourists.

Official statistics indicate that the city has a bed capacity of 3 318, which is said to be inadequate.

The deficit becomes more pronounced when the city hosts significant events such as the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) among other business events.

According to a presentation submitted during the recently held Sanganai/ Hlanganani World Tourism Invest Conference last Friday on tourism investment opportunities in the province, the locality is endowed with unique tourism offerings and there is room for investment in the sector.

Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF)

Major tourist attractions in the province need to be maintained regularly to keep their beauty while other sites can be developed through investments.

The development of new tourist attractions such as theme parks and water parks will stimulate the growth of the industry.

“The rich tourism potential of Bulawayo brings about investment opportunities in the hotel and catering sector as well. The province requires investment for 5-star hotels and restaurants, as we strive to meet the needs and demands of our tourists,” reads part of the presentation.

The local authority, read the presentation, has already identified sites for the proposed development of the hotels.

Recently the council granted an international hotel group, Radisson Group of Hotels permission to build a hotel in the city.

The council said the hotel will be built on a three-hectare piece of land located between the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre and the Bulawayo Golf Club.

Radisson Hotel Group has more than 1 400 hotels worldwide including in countries such as South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria among others.

Consultations have been ongoing since 2019 when Mkhuze Global on behalf of Radisson Group of Hotels indicated its interest to build a hotel in the city.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief operating officer Mr Givemore Chidzidzi told delegates at the investment conference that as the country, the lack of adequate infrastructure presents great opportunities in the construction of conferencing and exhibition facilities.

He said there are no proper or multi-purpose Convention or exhibition Centres, rather many of these are mere rooms.

For instance, Bulawayo has 69 known conference facilities with a total capacity of 5 516 while Harare has 90 conference facilities with a combined capacity of 10 480, he said.

Mr Chidzidzi said the country has a less diversified product base and is underinvested in accommodation — ranging from low-cost to luxury lodges and hotels.

“Existing facilities need to be either improved on or we need new facilities. For instance, we are here at ZITF and we notice that there is a need for air conditioning. There is a need to modernise the facility and it’s an investment opportunity.

“Also when we come for ZITF, we know of accommodation problems. So, in the accommodation sector (for tourism), Zimbabwe is seriously under-hotelled. The capacity for our accommodation sector leaves a lot to be desired.

“We are projecting that by 2030 we would have doubled the room capacity that we have. We want to see mega projects coming through.”

The provincial pitch added that there are plans to develop sports tourism, focusing on various sporting disciplines such as golf, racing, tennis and football.

To facilitate this, the council is scouting for investment to construct the support structures. The supporting structures will include golf courses, stadiums for cricket, football, and tennis, a horse racing course, and a horse-riding school.

“Already the BCC has horses located at the Gum plantation and we plan to utilise these horses and start a horse-riding school, where we will facilitate the training of the next generation of world-class jockeys.”

With more tourism facilities, the province would enhance its strategic location as a key player in the sector as it has easy access to most major tourist sites such as the Matobo National Park, Hwange National Park and Victoria Falls.

Hwange National Park

Official statistics indicate that the country recorded 352 719 tourist arrivals in the first half of the year, up 115 percent from 164 062 tourist arrivals received during the same period last year with a majority of the visitors coming in from the USA and UK.

In 2020, the Government launched the National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy to restart the sector, whose contribution to the national economy has been heavily crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic.-chronicle.cl.zw