Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
OUTGOING Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) president Mr George Manyumwa last Friday revealed that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe funding facility for hoteliers had not been publicised, with many players being unaware of its existence.

He said official communication on the revolving fund was only sent to concerned members the previous week. Mr Manyumwa said the scenario in which the RBZ facility was lying idle was being caused by the fact that most hospitality industry players buy fixtures and supplies from South Africa and needed foreign currency to do that.

“Most of the things we might want to use for refurbishments are coming in from South Africa. But the revolving fund is in bond, so hoteliers who access it would then have to look for forex to make the purchase. At the end of the day, the cost of the money would be very high. This is why people are not going for that fund,” he said.

Mr Manyumwa acknowledged the urgent need to refurbish hotels.

“It would be best if we do refurbishments now, because there is bound to be a very big inflow of tourists into the country next year. But the cost of finance has been too high, we are looking at about 10-15 percent, so it has been very difficult to borrow for refurbishments,” he said.

Hoteliers have not warmed up to the facility since its establishment by the RBZ at the launch of the Financial Inclusion Strategy last year to improve their facilities.

Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Prisca Mupfumira urged delegates at the HAZ congress in Nyanga to stop complaining and grab the funds to refurbish their properties and enhance competitiveness.

“During the times that I have travelled around the country in my personal capacity, I have realised that some hotel standards have dropped. I want to see this change during my tenure as Tourism Minister. You need to refurbish your hotels to make them appealing to the consumers. I have been informed that the (RBZ) facility is there, but it is not being used. So, use that facility to improve the outlook of your hotels,” she said.

The central bank has established 11 facilities amounting to nearly $270 million under the Financial Inclusion Strategy, which aims to ensure the existence of an inclusive financial sector that broadens access to and use of financial services by all.

“Under the strategy, the central bank has launched a tourism support facility of $15 million and tourism players can as well benefit from such Government support,” said Minister Mupfumira.

Besides refurbishment, Minister Mupfumira said tourism players could do more to improve on their service delivery to attract more visitors. She said some of the challenges faced by industry had nothing to do with shortage of foreign currency or an expensive cost structure.

“You do not need foreign currency to make your hotel look clean and well taken care of,” she said. “Hotel staff should be taught on the importance of not taking short-cuts when doing basic things such as cleaning.”

 

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