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Business Reporter
PLAYERS in the tourism and hospitality industry should collaborate with the Government in bidding for Meetings Incentives Conferences Exhibitions Tourism (MICE) events, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive, Ms Winnie Muchanyuka, has said.
She was speaking at the 2022 edition of the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe Congress, which ended in Victoria Falls last Friday.
“I would like to encourage the hospitality industry to continue working closely with the ZTA and other Government arms to jointly formulate strategies to bid for more MICE business.
“We must find strategic ways to collaborate in our quest to promote Zimbabwe as a first choice MICE destination,” said Muchanyuka.
She added that there was a need for the hospitality sector to also focus on domestic MICE events.
“There is a lot of potential for us to create more MICE business locally. We just need to have a more collaborated approach as a sector. If you look at our statistics for this year, you will find out that MICE contributed quite significantly to the general recovery of the sector,” she said.
Ms Muchanyuka said the first half of 2022 saw 5 705 functions being hosted while 354 553 participants attended the MICE events at national level.
“The Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare/Vumba regions dominated most in terms of functions held accounting for a combined 71 percent at national level,” she said.
Ms Muchanyuka said Harare province continues to dominate mice business followed by Bulawayo and Mutare/Vumba.
“This is due to the higher concentration of hotels in the areas and therefore varied hosting capacities by hotels,” she said.
Ms Muchanyuka said information from hoteliers indicated that most of the MICE business was generated from the domestic market, which was mostly Government agencies, the corporate sector and non-governmental organisations.
“MICE business continues to be the dominating force in generating room occupancies for hotels,” she said.
Ms Muchanyuka said it is important to take advantage of investment opportunities in the sector.
She urged the hospitality sector to heed Government’s call on the need to revamp the tourism sector through greenfield and brownfield investments.
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu