Vusumuzi Dube
Lovemore Dube
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority regional manager Novuyo Mathonsi says the return to the National Sports Stadium of Dynamos FC will affect the Bulawayo tourism earnings.
Dynamos have since June been playing at Barbourfields Stadium due to the unavailable stadia to use in the capital. Both Rufaro and the National Sports Stadium have had renovations under way since last year.
Rufaro was closed to Harare clubs as a new surface was laid and ablution facilities and dressing rooms attended to, to make the facility better. With health worries owing to the poor state of ablution facilities and water amid a cholera scare, the National Sports Stadium was shut in June leaving eight clubs in the Premier Soccer League to seek refuge in Ngezi, Bulawayo, Gweru and Zvishavane.
While the Harare clubs were paying a fortune through transport, accommodation and other logistics associated with playing away from home, the economies of cities and towns where the clubs benefitted.
Mathonsi said: “As tourism we are really saddened by the decision taken by Caps United and Dynamos not to play their match here in Bulawayo, we had seen the uptake for accommodation increasing.”
Dynamos’ temporary relocation to Bulawayo had seen an improvement of regular weekend tourists on the domestic scene. A number of services providers were also benefiting from the Dynamos matches in Bulawayo.
Tourism she said was winning as people tended to look beyond soccer when they visited on weekends.
“People who come to these matches bring children who visit our tourist attractions. All these contributed to tourism figures, we had seen marked increase in the financials,” said Mathonsi.
This would have been the very first time that Dynamos and Caps United clash in Bulawayo in a league match.
Caps have a decent national appeal and their fans would have helped fill Barbourfields Stadium.
Online Reporter