Chronicle EditorGeorge Maponga Masvingo Bureau
The City of Masvingo and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority are jointly seeking investors to build a multi-million dollar five-star hotel and a game park for tourism development in Zimbabwe’s oldest town.
The planned hotel would be built on council land near the Mangwandi area close to the plush Rhodene and Zimre Park suburbs located along the Masvingo-Harare Highway.
Council also wants the investors to revive a game park once run by the Wildlife Society of Zimbabwe on its land. Masvingo Town Clerk Mr Adolph Gusha confirmed the talks between council and the ZTA over the scouting for possible partners for the projects.
“We have been talking to ZTA so that they find an investor for us who is prepared to build a five-star hotel in that area and re-establish the game park that used to be there,” he said.
“The rationale behind the project is to boost tourism and help our city grow further into a modern urban settlement.”
Mr Gusha said council had not yet set timelines for the projects.
“We are still waiting for the ZTA to report back to us, but we are very keen to see a new five-star hotel being built in this city,” he said.
Mr Gusha said the envisaged game park would be next to the five-star hotel.
“The game park that we used to have is no longer there after the Wildlife Society of Zimbabwe pulled out of the project,” he said.
“The organisation was a non-profit-making entity and were leasing council land. We are still very keen to see that game park being revived.”
The game park had been created as a tourist attraction for Masvingo residents and was home to wild animals such as zebra, antelope and sable.
Masvingo is a renowned tourist town and has potential to further grow into one of the biggest cities in Zimbabwe if tourism opportunities that abound are fully exploited.
Besides boasting a road network system that easily connects with different cities because of its strategic central location, the city also boasts an airstrip, which can be a gateway for both domestic and foreign tourists.
The city is also located within close radius of some of the major tourist attractions in southern Zimbabwe, namely the imperious Great Zimbabwe World Heritage Site, about 25km away.
There is also Lake Mutirikwi and the Kyle Recreational Park, a habitat for diverse fauna and flora.
Masvingo has three hotels.
Online Reporter