Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also the Minister of Health and Childcare, has urged operators in the hospitality industry to desist from charging exorbitant rates which he said contributed to runaway inflation.
Chiwenga said the government recently noted that some players in the hospitality industry were charging high rates to the government using parallel market exchange rates.
Officially opening the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) 2022 annual congress in Victoria Falls on Thursday, Chiwenga said:
The government was left with no choice, but to tame the potential runaway inflation and crippling pressures on the local currency by putting in place measures that are aimed at price correction and upholding ethical procurement practices on the market.
Let me urge you all to be good corporate citizens who adhere to good ethical conduct for us to achieve our developmental aspirations.
Chiwenga said investments in the tourism industry, mostly in the accommodation sector, grew by 147% last year to US$180.4 million. He added:
This will, indeed, go a long way in attracting and hosting major international conferences such as the International Conference on Aids and STIs in Africa which Zimbabwe recently won the bid to host in 2023.
In the same vein, the country has also won the bid to host the International Conference on Population and Development in June 2023, here in Victoria Falls.
We are delighted to witness the construction of new hotels and new investments in the hospitality industry, especially in Victoria Falls which is a designated special economic zone.
May I, therefore, urge potential investors to take advantage of the special incentives that accrue from investing in the special economic zone as well as listing on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange.
HAZ president Farai Chimba bemoaned the bad state of the country’s road network, including the highway to Victoria Falls, saying it is a deterrent for domestic tourism. Said Chimba:
Other aspects such as power shortages and the negative cost impact to us, having to resort to generators and fuel that is more expensive.
While we are moving towards clean green energy in terms of solar, this still remains very prohibitive with high capital outlay to start with.
The congress is running under the theme: Resetting hospitality towards tourism success. | NewsDay