Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Hon Barbara Rwodzi
By Dickson Bandera
The Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Hon Barbara Rwodzi has invited local and international investors to take up Tourism Opportunities in accommodation, conferencing and entertainment facilities, areas which she says is underinvested.
She said there was a huge shortage of these much-needed facilities in the country hence investors needed to consider investing.
In her remarks at the Tourism Investment Forum in Bulawayo this Friday morning, Minister Rwodzi said opportunities are rife in accommodation, conferencing and entertainment facilities.
“Opportunities for investment in Zimbabwe are rife especially in accommodation, conferencing facilities, entertainment, and theme parks, and so on. Currently Zimbabwe has 14 034 rooms and very limited conferencing capacity. This shows the high magnitude of the investment opportunities that we have in this sector,” she said.
“One of our prime recommendations is investment into conferencing facilities with a capacity of least 1000 pax at any given time. This gives us opportunities to host major conferences that will see the growth of our Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibiting Events (MICE) tourism, she added.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority organised the Tourism Investment Forum to provide interaction amongst the sector stakeholders namely project promoters, investors, financiers, operators and developers to interact, network and engage.
The Minister told the attendants of the forum that they needed to establish deals from the interface.
“Beyond these interactions and engagements, we expect real deals that add to the growth of the tourism and hospitality industry, added Min Rwodzi.
She also assured investors that government will support them.
“The Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe stands ready to render all the necessary support you will require.
“Zimbabwe is a safe and secure tourism investment destination – and the best time to invest is now. The Government has developed Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in some parts of the country, including this host city (Bulawayo), Harare and Victoria Falls, with special investment incentives availed to such zones.
Zimbabwe has revolutionarised its Investment model with the establishment of the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) which assists investors to register their company and obtain all licences under one roof, within a few days.
