ONE of the world's largest hospitality companies, Accor SA, has entered the local market after signing up the soon-to-be-built Novotel Victoria Falls Hotel in a vote of confidence in Zimbabwe as a tourist destination.
The agreement was signed at the Future Hospitality Summit Africa that ran from June 17 to 19 in Cape Town, South Africa.
The French multinational is the sixth-largest hospitality group in the world.
It operates 5 600 hotels with 850 000 rooms under 45 brands, including Novotel, in over 110 countries and has a total talent complement of over 360 000.
Accor said the signing of the agreement marked its entry to the local market, leveraging on a first-mover advantage in one of “Africa's most iconic destinations”, underscoring the group’s commitment to pioneering development in emerging markets.
Victoria Falls is a prime destination as it is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the world, a Unesco heritage site.
The hotel will be completed in 2028 and is part of a mixed-use development that will include a medical facility, retail and residential developments.
The 111-bed hotel will be in the Masuwe Special Economic Zone near the majestic falls, thanks to incentives rolled out by the government to attract investment to Victoria Falls.
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This shows that when the environment is conducive, investors don't hesitate to come. We anticipate more foreign investors to come to Victoria, taking advantage of the designation of the tourism city as a financial services centre.
The combined project requires US$42,4 million. It is under the Eagle Real Estate Investment Trust.
The entry of Accor to Zimbabwe comes a year after another global hospitality brand, Hyatt, took over the Meikles Hotel in Harare's central business district.
The existence of international brands in Zimbabwe is a boon for standards as they will be at par with those in other markets where the brands operate from.
There will be knowledge transfer, which will benefit the local hospitality sector.
The coming in of international brands helps to renew the tourism product, which appeared worn out after years of macroeconomic headwinds.
We envisage the entry of big brands, coupled with the refurbishment of existing properties, going a long way in making Zimbabwe an attractive tourist destination.
Local hospitality players have embarked on phased multi-million-dollar refurbishment programmes to match the standards of international brands.
Tourism as an integral part of the economy requires support of enablers such as immigration.
A flexible visa regime and seamless processes at immigration will help to deliver the goods.
We don't need to fill in forms when the internet can make it easier for us. In other destinations immigration has gone paperless.
Tourism players must revisit their pricing models, amid concerns that our prices are higher than those obtaining in the region, making destination Zimbabwe unattractive despite boasting some of the best tourist attractions.
There is also a need to ensure easy accessibility, which is one of the key pillars of destination marketing. This entails incentivising more airlines to fly to Zimbabwe.
