Bulawayo tourism sector sees steady rise
Bulawayo’s tourism sector experienced a sharp increase in vehicle hire in the second quarter of the year mainly driven by the First Lady Amai Mnangagwa’s Traditional Regional Cookout competition and the annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa
In the period under review, the region also registered 34 443 visitors at seven surrounding tourist attraction places, up from 28 753 in the same period last year.
A report presented on Monday during a Provincial Development Committee meeting held at Mhlahlandlela Complex where Government departments took stock of the achievements that the Second Republic made in the past five years, it was noted that there were 4 698 fleet hire up from 4 290 recorded in the second quarter last year.
“Due to a number of efforts by ZTA and other tourism stakeholders, fleet utilisation also experienced a significant rise during the second quarter in terms of car hiring.
“This has been triggered by the noticeable influx of tourists into the region due to events such as ZITF, Amai’s Traditional Regional Cookout competition and the joint marketing efforts of the region,” reads part of the report.
The First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa launched the traditional meal cookout competition in 2020 to promote the uptake of indigenous dishes and ensure citizens benefit from their nutritional value and medicinal properties.
The first national finals were held in 2021 and thereafter the First Lady handed over the programme to the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
On hotel occupancy, the report noted that in the second quarter the region experienced a nine percent decline in comparison to last year’s second quarter average room occupancy, which can be attributable to the expansion of the region’s total room capacity which has gone way beyond demand.
Hotel occupancy was 53 percent down from 62 percent in the second quarter of 2022.
The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) periodically conducts a door-to-door survey targeting hospitality facilities in the city whose outcome is expected to help grow the sector and contribute to economic development.
Bulawayo City Council
Provision of standard accommodation and key tourism facilities is critical for Bulawayo, which hosts big business conferences such as the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, the country’s prime business event.
The city also hosts the Sanganai/Hlanganani International Tourism Expo, which was brought in Bulawayo to maximise the city’s potential in contributing to the growth of the country’s economy following the demise of the industrial hub.
According to the report, Matopo National Park had 11 141 visitors, up from 7 808 in the comparative period last year.
Hillside Dams had 10 961, Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage (5 075), Blue Hills Camp (3 109), National Art Gallery (2 218), Tshabalala Game Sanctuary (1 110) and Matopos Dam had 829 visitors.
To ensure that tourism operators are compliant with regulatory provisions, regular facility inspections were carried out in the period under review.
“To also ensure maximum contribution by the tourism sector towards a US$5-billion-dollar economy by 2030, Bulawayo Regional office has embarked on regular facility inspections.
“For the 2nd quarter, the office managed to enforce a total of 50 renewals and three new registrations,” the report noted.
Zimbabwe is aiming to achieve a US$5 billion tourism economy by 2025 and the rebound in the sector has set the tone.
In 2020, the Government launched the National Tourism Recovery and Growth Strategy to re-start the sector and to further market the country as a prime tourism destination.
The sector has embarked on an aggressive domestic tourism marketing drive following the launch of the ZimBho campaign in 2020, which has helped improve domestic travel.-chronicle
