Hospitality industry players introduce promotions

MOST hospitality and tourism players in the country have introduced special packages during the festive season as part of their efforts to attract both local and international guests.

Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe ( HAZ) president Mr Innocent Manyera said most hospitality and tour operators across the country have introduced various promotions over the festive season to increase the number of visitors seeking their services.

“We have packages in place to motivate travellers. Some (hospitality players) have put in place promotions such as, stay three nights and get one for free, as a way of motivating length of stay. There are also facilities, which are discounted if one is booking dinner, bed and breakfast as compared to bed only basis. Children depending on their age are getting free accommodation and meals, if they are accompanied by parents. In resort areas there are hotels facilitating numerous activities on complimentary, if one is booked for accommodation,” said Mr Manyera.

He noted that a number of hotels were offering fuel services to their guests in the wake of the prevailing shortages in the country.

Mr Manyera however, said distortions in forex pricing are causing massive inflationary pressures in the economy, bringing fears of the recurrence of the previous dreadful hyper-inflationary environment of the 2000-2009 decade and subsequently affecting the hospitality sector’s pricing model.

“The current issue on pricing is not sector-specific but it’s at macro-economic level where some models are not taking the United States dollar as at par with the bond note, which is actually the opposite of Government’s position. This disparity on its own will leave the hospitality sector deemed expensive while in actual fact, it’s the costs that we absorb. The hospitality industry is trying by all means to address the pricing issues.

“However, the major challenge is that we are at the end of the trade matrix, meaning we fully depend on other industries to kick start our own operations. Prices in our sector are supply-driven by feeder industries, making it very difficult to address prices if they are determined by other industries. Most of our pricing criteria is currently cost plus, meaning that we absorb costs as they come to determine our selling price,” he said.

Mr Manyera said the hospitality industry continues to face a decline in domestic tourists owing to the high cost of living.

“We are faced with a decline in domestic travel because of serious reduction on disposable income for most Zimbabweans due to inflationary pressures meaning that most travellers concentrate on basic issues, with leisure coming as a last resort,” he said.