Chronicle Editor
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THERE is renewed investor interest in the country’s tourism industry with a number of investors exploring opportunities in the sector that has been identified as one of the key pillars of the economy whose revival was critical as a low hanging fruit of the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
Tourism alongside agriculture, mining and manufacturing has been identified as a quick enabler of the of the country’s upper-middle-income economy vision if the available opportunities are exploited.
Speaking at the official opening of Sterling Hotel Bulawayo on Friday, the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Mangaliso Ndlovu said both local and foreign investors have shown a keen interest in the country’s tourism sector.
“I am reliably informed that there are other investors who are seriously exploring other tourism opportunities within the greater Bulawayo and immediate environs. These include a combination of local and foreign investors.
“More so, as a show confidence in destination Zimbabwe, more and more international tourism brands are warming up to having their presence in Zimbabwe, with Bulawayo being one of the investment destinations being earmarked for development by such brands,” said Minister Ndlovu.
He said the development of Sterling Hotel Bulawayo was a clear testament that the tourism sector at large was on a positive trajectory for growth and development.
The minister said the hotel was the third tourism facility that the Sterling Hotel Group has to date invested in, in addition to the two that are already running in Harare and Mvurwi bringing the total investment the Group has ploughed into tourism to about US$6 million.
“As you are all aware Bulawayo is not only our cultural and heritage tourism capital but also our Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism capital. It is therefore befitting that tonight we witness the addition of 46 rooms to Bulawayo’s accommodation room stock. I was delighted to hear that the next project is the development of conferencing facilities here, further complementing our MICE capabilities in the city.”
He said Zimbabwe was being built by its owners in line with President Mnangagwa’s ‘Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo/Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo’ development philosophy.
The minister said as Government, they have come up with various initiatives to support the tourism sector and these include among others the extension of the duty-free rebate for capital goods and the retention of foreign currency which has since been reviewed downwards as outlined in the recent Monetary Policy.
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube, in a speech read on a behalf, said the tourism sector in the city and nationwide continues to contribute towards foreign currency generation, employment creation and the resuscitation of downstream industries. She said this was contributing to the stimulation of national economic growth and development in line with Vision 2030 of an upper middle-income economy as espoused by President Mnangagwa.
“As the Bulawayo community we welcome this investment with open arms and look forward to more investments into other facets of the tourism sector from existing tourism players and other new prospective local and foreign investors.”
Sterling Hotels managing director, Mrs Shaurai Manyika applauded the efforts made by the Government through the ease of doing business initiative which goes a long way in improving the hospitality sector.
“The journey to where we are today has not been smooth but with invaluable support, here we are. As an upcoming Group of Hotels, we commit to play our part and make our contribution towards the achievement of industry targets towards the attainment of the NDS1 and Vision 2030,” she said.
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