Call to give workers holiday tourism

Patrick Chitumba Victoria Falls Reporter
THE government is proposing that civil servants be given holiday incentives as part of efforts to develop domestic tourism, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Engineer Walter Mzembi said. In a speech read on his behalf at the officially opening the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) congress in Victoria Falls yesterday, Eng Mzembi implored all employers to give holiday incentives to their employees.

He said local people were less likely to travel unless they viewed tourism as important.
“Local people are less likely to travel unless they view it as important this is why we see fewer and fewer indigenous Zimbabweans participating in purely leisurely travel or holiday-making. This is a worrying development and urgent action needs to be taken to remedy this situation.

In that regard I would like to implore all employers to incentivize their employees to go on holidays. I am pleased to inform you that government has led the way by proposing that civil servants be incentivised to take holiday for tourism purposes. Let us seriously talk about it,” he said.

Eng Mzembi said price differentials were another way of increasing competitive advantage.
“While peak season can be characterized by limited discounting as holiday makers are willing to pay premium prices for holidays, off season should be characterized by discounts especially for the domestic markets. The availability of budget packages for groups, university students, civil servants, school pupils and other traditional disenfranchised groups will provide a cushion for the industry during off season,” he said.

In his welcoming remarks, HAZ president Mr Tich Hwingwiri said the tourism industry having successfully played host to the UNWTO general assembly remained strategic with potential to lead to a turnaround of the economic challenges on condition that it receives adequate funding.

Mr Hwingwiri also bemoaned low occupancies in areas such as Nyanga, Lowveld, Masvingo and Victoria Falls.
“We also have challenges with ZBH as we are forced to pay $100 per every TV set in the hotel despite low occupancy. This adds up to cost of running the business,” he said.