THE average occupancy rate for hotels in the city dropped by two percent to 46% in the first quarter of 2014 from 48% in the previous year in spite of cheaper rates on offer as cash shortages in the economy bite, an official said yesterday.
“During the first quarter of the year the average room rate was $76, compared to last year’s rate of $77, but business was slightly better as compared to this year,” Brian Nyakutombwa, the Matabeleland South chairperson for the Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe, said.
“We believe the second quarter will be better with the hosting of Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.”
Nyakutombwa, who is also general manager of Cresta Churchill Hotel, said the hospitality industry was focussed on keeping costs low because of the uncertainty in the economy.
“There is lot of cost management and it has been made efficient because players in the industry do not get much revenue. There is still much that needs to be done at a macro-level,” he said.
— The Source
