Govt to engage tourism industry over prices

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
GOVERNMENT will engage the tourism industry to discuss ways of addressing the current pricing structure in the sector, which has seen Zimbabwe becoming the most expensive destination in the region.

Speaking at the official opening of the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) annual congress in Nyanga last week, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira told delegates that changes in pricing were a key element to the development of tourism.

“There is a lot that needs to be done to improve the hospitality industry’s competitiveness,” she said. “The industry has to play its part, but as policymakers we have areas where we come in. Our priority will be to address the pricing structure to enhance competitiveness. We need to do something to review our prices if we are to expunge this bad name as the world’s most expensive tourist destination.

“There is need for an urgent all stakeholders workshop to deliberate and interrogate cost structures on all pricing issues in the tourism industry.” Minister Mupfumira said Government would also come up with policies that encouraged domestic tourism.

“We cannot rely on foreign visitors to grow the industry,” she said. “We need a policy that will make it cheaper for the domestic market to access the industry. This way we will survive in event foreign tourists do not come to Zimbabwe. Minister Mupfumira encouraged hoteliers to refurbish their hotels and improve standards to attract more visitors.

She said her ministry would embrace policy enhancement to ensure ease of doing business for the private sector operators in areas such as connectivity and automation of agencies under the ministry.

Government has come up with a Tourism Master Plan, which will guide the development of the tourism sector for the next 20 years. The plan seeks to re-establish the country as a destination of choice. The HAZ congress was running under the theme “Priority policy and regulatory reforms for competitiveness in the hospitality sector”.