Chronicle EditorIshemunyoro Chingwere Property Reporter
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is seating on 70 percent bookings for its resort accommodation facilities ahead of festive season that runs from the first week of December to the first week of January.
The National Parks operates 250 accommodation units across the country, which have a current carrying capacity of 880 beds and the authority draws much of its revenue from that stream together with hunting, which is the cash cow contributing 60 percent ($28 million) to the authority.
The authority is currently working on modalities to improve the contribution coming from accommodation and have announced plans to enlist investors to inject $5,6 million to rehabilitate and upgrade the authority’s accommodation facilities. The authority’s public relations manager Tinashe Farawo, told this publication that they have to date, seen 70 percent of its accommodation facilities taken up for the festive season and hope abounds they will be fully booked during the season.
“We are currently seating on 70 percent bookings for the festive season. Of note is the fact that about 60 percent of the bookings that we have recorded so far are locals and as an authority we are obviously excited by the locals’ positive response to our call to take up our products,” said Mr Farawo.
“Like has been previously reported, we are working on sprucing up our facilities and to date we have done some work on Lake Chivero, where we have rehabilitated the roads and also installed new furniture. We have also introduced boat cruise and we are very confident we will reach the 100 percent booking mark,” he said.
Mr Farawo said the dominance of locals in their bookings does not signal a lack of confidence from the foreign market, but generally foreigners dominate from May to October a period that coincides with the hunting season.
The Parks Authority is on a vigorous campaign to boost tourist arrivals and receipts. Statistics from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) shows that 2017 arrivals shot up by six percent to 479 718 in the first quarter compared to the same period last year with 450 572 tourists having visited the country in the first quarter.
There was also a corresponding growth in hotel occupancy, which also registered a 38 percent jump in the first quarter compared to the preceding year.
Online Reporter