RTG records 36percent jump in hotel occupancy

RAINBOW Tourism Group (RTG) recorded a 36 percent growth in hotel occupancy in the first five months of this year to 60 percent, largely underpinned by the group’s sustained brand visibility and a buoyant domestic tourism market.

In the corresponding period last year, RTG’s occupancy rate stood at 44 percent. This comes after Zimbabwe’s tourism sector experienced a remarkable increase in international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year.The Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) reported that 409 979 foreign travellers visited the country in the quarter to March 2024, representing an 94,25 percent jump from 211 054 in the same period last year.

Since the Covid-19 emergency was lifted, more travellers are expected to traverse the world, with 10,5 million flights anticipated in the third quarter of this year, according to a survey by Bloomberg, which will benefit major tourist destinations globally, including Zimbabwe.

Speaking at the group’s annual general meeting in Harare on Monday, RTG chief executive officer, Mr Tendai Madziwanyika, said despite the operating environment being characterised by exchange rate instability, increased energy costs and erratic power supply, among others, in the first quarter of the year, they managed to navigate the headwinds.

Among other initiatives, he said RTG has embarked on a clean energy strategy with the introduction of a solar plant at Kadoma Ranch Motel, and the launch of the new currency is expected to bring exchange rate stability.

“Talking about performance in the first five months of 2024, our occupancy was at 60 percent and this is up from 44 percent in the same period last year. When you start talking about 70 percent or 80 percent, you are talking world-class and so, 60 percent is quite exciting,” said Mr Madziwanyika.

The group’s market share during the period under review stood at 30 percent, up from 28 percent in the same period last year.

“Our fair share in the market is 25 percent. In other words, if we were to look at the number of rooms that we have compared to the number of rooms that are in the country inclusive of competition, our share of total rooms would be 25 percent.

“But our actual share stands at 20 percent ahead of our fair share; that means our business is generating 20 percent and thus as a brand, we are outperforming the competition.

“Our share of voice has gone up from 33 percent to 39 percent. Share of voice is that measure that says out of the articles that are generated on tourism, what is our share — how much of the articles and the statements and everything being generated on tourism in this country is about RTG.

“That means 39 percent is RTG-related and that’s incredible. Out of all the players in tourism, close to half of the messages are about this company.”

In 2020, the group invested US$4,6 million in the re-fashioning of 183 guest rooms and installed two brand new high-tech elevators at Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare.By mid-July all rooms at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, which will host delegates attending the Sadc Industrialisation Week and investment conference at the end of next month would have been renewed.

In an interview after a tour of the 4 500 seater Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) where the Sadc Investment Conference will be held, Mr Madzianyika said: “We are going to be changing all the carpeting and chairs in the HICC. We will do it in time for the Sadc Industrialisation Week. We can assure you that it will be done.

“All these chairs (on the ground floor) will be done around July 2 and after we finish, we are going to do all the chairs that you see up there.”

Apart from the HICC, some of the rooms at Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare are being redesigned to accommodate Heads of State who will be staying there during the conference. At least 150 companies are expected to be in the country during the investment conference with at least 300 participants from the private sector as well as other stakeholders from the public sector, academia and development partners.-chrnicle