ZITF urges hotels, lodges to moderate rates

Source: ZITF urges hotels, lodges to moderate rates | The Sunday News

Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Company chief executive officer, Dr Nicholas Ndebele

Sikhulekelani Moyo

THE Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) has called on the hospitality industry to reconsider its pricing system saying exhibitors and visitors have expressed concerns over exorbitant accommodation rates during the fair.

This was raised during the stakeholder engagement meeting held on Thursday at the Zimbabwe International Conference and Exhibition Smart City (ZICES) in Bulawayo.

The 65th edition of the premier annual trade showcase is set to take place from 21 to 26 April at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) and will run under the theme: “Industrialisation: Crafting an Integrated Economic Landscape.”

The 2025 edition’s number of days has been extended from five to six to provide more opportunities for business and networking among exhibitors, stakeholders, and visitors.

ZITF 2025 will also commemorate ZITF’s Blue Sapphire anniversary, celebrating decades of excellence in promoting innovation and fostering regional business growth.

As the ZITF company seeks to improve its standards, it considers feedback from clients and engagement is made to discuss with stakeholders.

In his update on the feedback from visitors and exhibitors, ZITF chief executive officer Dr Nicholas Ndebele said the issue of accommodation continues to be raised, with a need for moderation.

“As demand outstrips supply, the rates are bound to go up. So, there is that outcry, and I always remind the hospitality industry not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg,” said Dr Ndebele.

“Since last year, I have said participation by Government departments is slowly declining, and what does that mean for us as the hospitality sector? That’s the risk that we are faced with. The fewer people come to ZITF, the more also you don’t achieve your targets, so there is a need for moderation in terms of pricing our services.

“Let’s not discourage people from coming to ZITF because the largest cost for ZITF is not the cost for exhibition stands, but it’s around logistics, and one of the largest cost drivers is accommodation.”
Dr Ndebele said the sector always tries to maximise profits during ZITF as they believe that ZITF provides 70 percent of their annual budget.

Responding to the concerns raised by Dr Ndebele, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe Bulawayo representative Mrs Beauty Bhulu said all accommodation facilities are prepared to host the delegates.
She said the sector has a lot of mandatory payments and what they get during ZITF is what they depend on to pay for everything for the year.

ZITF

“If you say accommodation is expensive in Bulawayo, then after deducting everything, I have nothing to take home because there are so many licences and we make these payments once a year,” she said.
“There is no ZITF without accommodation and there is no hospitality without ZITF, so we have to work together.”

Mrs Bhulu also said organisations and Government departments give people money to book their accommodation, but they tend to pocket it.

She, however, appealed to organisations and Government departments to use procurement channels to pay for services, rather than giving individuals money.

“Can we have a policy that people pay before coming to ZITF? Some people come and book and stay, but they don’t pay, and we then have to chase for payments afterwards, which is not good,” said Mrs Bhulu.
She, however, called upon service providers like the local authority to fix roads so that visitors can access accommodation in different lodges dotted around the city.

She said the city has plenty of accommodation facilities, which can provide enough accommodation for ZITF visitors, and she said there are nice houses that can be used if all lodges and hotels are full.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Representative who attended the event said the Government has issued a circular with the rates that the Government is offering for ZITF accommodation.

She said the rates are falling short by almost half of what the industry is charging.

“We appreciate from the industry point of view that as an industry it’s time for us to make business, but maybe we need to meet halfway, we need to accommodate the reality on the ground,” she said.
She therefore called upon those with houses that they want to use to accommodate visitors during ZITF to approach ZTA so that their properties can be checked and issued with a temporary operating licence.