adminZTA chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke said tourism players who did not improve standards risked being closed or being stripped of their status.
Kaseke said the authority had received a number of complaints about the standards and level of service delivery in Bulawayo.
“We can confirm that indeed the standards have fallen and this has been an issue of great concern to the authority. We are moving in to restore sanity in the hospitality sector as several operators fail to meet expected levels”
“We are giving those hotels that were found wanting a six-month grace period to improve their standards and service delivery, failure of which we will strip them of their stars as provided in the Tourism Act”, he said.
He said at least ten lodges and one hotel in Bulawayo risk closure if they did not improve their standards and service.
Meanwhile, Kaseke expressed concern over exorbitant prices that players in the hospitality sector were charging. “Some hotels and lodges have increased their rates between 30 and 200 percent above their published prices.
“Operators in the industry need to benchmark themselves with the prices elsewhere and charge reasonable prices and accommodation rates,” he said.
He said some tourism players in Bulawayo were charging clients for more days than they were staying.
“It is criminal for hotels to charge customers more days than they are staying,” Kaseke said.
Business for the Bulawayo hospitality industry has been low owing to stagnation of industry in that part of the country.
Industries in the town are however expected to benefit from the business revival fund the Distressed Enterprises and Marginalised Areas Fund (DEMAF) which the government has launched. — New Ziana.
Online Reporter