Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Chief Operations Officer Givemore Chidzidzi has said the country has got a lot of investment opportunities since it lacks the infrastructure for visitors.
Chidzidza, who was speaking during an investment forum in Harare said Zimbabwe does not even have nightclubs for entertainment.
“The things we call nightclubs here are not even nightclubs at international level,” said Chidzidzi.
The Operations officer said even the restaurants in Zimbabwe are few as they cannot accommodate the number of customers during the festive season.
Chidzidzi also lamented over the number of hotels in Zimbabwe stating that 2 five star hotels are not enough for Harare.
“If you look at Sandton, I am not talking about Johannesburg but Sandton alone, you will find out they are many hotels more than they are in Zimbabwe and probably combined with Zambia,” he said.
“I am sure you know the nightmares that we have when we go for Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo, the same would happen even if we locate here (in Harare).”
Five-star hotels in Harare include the Rainbow Towers Hotel and the Meikles Hotels.
Besides nightclubs and hotels, Chidzidzi also complained about conference centers in Harare, which are also few.
The ZTA officer said events are being organised in stadiums due to lack of adequate conference centers.
“When you are using a stadium as a conference room, its like taking a ton of a truck to buy a loaf of bread,” Chidzidzi illustrated,
Harare has only one conference center and has witnessed the national sports stadium and the Rufaro stadium being used for church services and other meetings.
Chidzidzi promised that the unregistered tower operators, which have sprouted around Zimbabwe will be closed down come 1 April.
The ZTA had given an amnesty of up to 1 April for unregistered tour companies to register so they can operate in the country.
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