admin“According to a survey done the ZTA of regional tourism trends, Bulawayo is showing the worst tourism trends over the next two, three, five years,” said Mr Kaseke.
Nonetheless the ZTA boss said the anticipated poor performance of the Bulawayo tourism sector was symptomatic of the broader state of the economy and the challenges facing the region’s industries.
“The dilapidation of some tourism sights and low standards of service by some operators in that region is simply reflective of performance of the economy. As we all know industries in Bulawayo have been facing viability concerns and as ZTA, we have had to be considerate,” he said.
Bulawayo is Zimbabwe’s second largest city. Located in the southwest of the country, and some of its main tourist sites include the Museum of Natural History, the
Railway Museum, the Bulawayo Amphitheatre, and the Bulawayo National Art Gallery. The annual Zimbabwe International Trade Fair is also touted as one of the city’s major tourist attractions.
ZTA considers ZITF an integral component of its “Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions Tourism” (MICE Tourism).
The authority is, however, worried that some operators’ pricing strategies are threatening the country’s MICE Tourism.
“A snap survey conducted by the ZTA revealed that hotels and lodges had increased their rates by between 30 and 200 percent above their published rack rates,” said the ZTA chief.
The ZTA also expressed concern at low service standards of some Bulawayo hoteliers, which was apparent at this year’s ZITF.
Mr Kaseke threatened to strip hoteliers that fail to improve on standards within the next six months of their star ratings.
“The just ended ZITF has made several revelations that the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority is concerned about if the destination is to become a successful MICE destination.
“Those hotels that were found wanting were given a period of six months to improve their standards and service delivery before they are stripped of stars as provided for in the Tourism Act,” he said.
Mr Kaseke urged the city’s tourism operators to take advantage of the financial resources that are being made available by Government under the Distressed
Enterprises and Marginalised Areas Fund.
However, with the Dimaf funds pegged at only US$20 million and also pencilled for areas outside Matabeleland, it may be inadequate to have a significant impact on Bulawayo’s tourism industry.
Meanwhile, Mr Kaseke said the statistics on the performance of Zimbabwean tourism in the first quarter of 2012 were out and the sector had performed “considerably better” compared to the similar period last year.
He, however, said the actual statistics will be made public soon.
Online Reporter