adminHe said the decline in standards if unresolved would impact negatively on the successful hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) general assembly in August.
In 2011, two countries Zimbabwe and Zambia won the bid to co-host the world’s largest tourism summit to run from 24 to 29 August in Victoria Falls and Livingstone.
“It was a directive from the President that I should spend my festive holidays in Victoria Falls as a trial run of our systems ahead of the UNWTO general assembly.
“Certainly, I was not happy in terms of services in some of the facilities; there is a down spiral of standards from across the board,” he said.
Eng Mzembi said he has since requested a team from his ministry to investigate the issue.
“We have to find out the reasons for the down spiral of standards; is it because of industrial relations or labour matters between the employers and the employees?”
Efforts to get a comment from the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe president Mr Tich Hwingwiri were futile.
Minister Mzembi also bemoaned the pricing of products by the hospitality sector saying the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has to intervene.
“With the current pricing structure, we cannot proceed and I think ZTA in this instance have to step in.
“It is not the first time that this issue is being raised and it has been proposed that we should come up with a two-tier pricing structure for foreigners and locals. But I feel we need a competitive pricing structure,” said Eng Mzembi.
He said the issue of pricing was a mischief that was not peculiar to the country’s hospitality industry alone.
“The pricing mischief cuts across the board. It is a mischief out of people responding to the Zimbabwe dollar era. We are the only country in the world that is not giving value to the United States dollar,” he said.
Meanwhile, the UNWTO technical inspectorate team is expected in the country this week to assess the country’s preparedness to host the tourism summit.
Online Reporter