By Stephen Chandisareva
HARARE – Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) has confirmed that Victoria Falls hotels have reached a 58 percent occupancy rate during the Easter holiday.
Traditionally, patronage for hotels during the Easter holiday is driven by local travellers.
Matabeleland North (HAZ) chairman Chiku Mulinde said average Easter period occupancy for the Victoria Falls destination grew by 2% to 58% comparable to 56% in 2023.
The hotels with the highest occupancy in 2024 were largely boutique hotels which recorded an average occupancy of above 80%.
Last year, boutique hotels again had the highest average occupancy of 85%.
“The major volume drivers for these occupancies are a combination of religiously affiliated bookings, International Tour Groups as well as Local Leisure Business. However, the self-driving business was affected by the poor state of the road linking the destination,” he said.
“There is also a significant contribution from the convention business for wholesale hotels like Elephant Hills Resort which continue to host Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions business.”
He said the poor road network has affected the family business, which has, over the years, come to the destination by road with stopovers either in Bulawayo or Hwange.
However, he said the road is currently undergoing rehabilitation, “a move that we expect to improve destination accessibility.”.
“The alternative airline transport remains quite expensive for domestic leisure travellers,” Mulinde added.