Business / Local
Small-scale miners penetrate tourism
06 Jul 2013 at 22:46hrs | Views
The country's growing mining sector, especially in the gold-rich Shurugwi area, has buoyed the tourism industry with small-scale miners now penetrating and tapping into the lucrative hospitality industry.
Zimbabwe's mining sector has in the past decade witnessed a marked improvement with the discovery of alluvial diamonds in Marange and Bikita as well as fresh gold deposits in the vast Great Dyke mountain range where minerals such as chrome and nickel are in abundance. Government is also stepping up efforts to realise maximum benefits from its mineral wealth, with plans at an advanced stage to launch small-scale gold mining syndicates in Zhombe, Shurugwi, Sanyati, Mvuma, Silobela and Kwekwe.
However, there are now noticeable models in areas such as Shurugwi, where miners are gradually diversifying into the hospitality sector in order to spread risk.
Businesses that were interviewed by The Sunday Mail Business last week indicated that this new model was strategic as it allows business ventures to hedge against losses in other sectors.
Mr Nicholas Gara, whose business - Nichrut Conference Centre and Accommodation in Shurugwi - won the second best accolade in the hotels category in the Midlands at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) annual awards last month, indicated that the business ventures were meant to complement Government efforts to promote growth in multiple sectors.
"We have a number of small-scale miners who are doing well and contributing to Government coffers. But I think as businesspeople we ought to venture into other sectors so that we complement efforts that are being made to boost other sectors as well. In that regard, we saw it appropriate to extend into the hospitality sector by establishing modern conference and accommodation facilities as a way to improve the tourism industry. We are also developing previously underdeveloped areas," explained Mr Gara.
The facility, which sits on four hectares along the Gweru-Shurugwi highway and has accommodation and conference facilities, was recently officially opened by Defence Minister Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mr Gara said negotiations with relevant authorities for more land to bring the accommodation rooms to 50 were at an advanced stage. He said the country's tourism had endured years of negative growth and it was up to local businesspeople to invest more in the sector for it to retain its yesteryear status.
Zimbabwe's tourism sector has undergone more than a decade of negative publicity from hostile nations and media who branded Zimbabwe as an unsafe destination. However, in the past few years the sector has been witnessing a steady improvement and the co-hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly next month is expected to re-energise Zimbabwe's tourism.
Zimbabwe's mining sector has in the past decade witnessed a marked improvement with the discovery of alluvial diamonds in Marange and Bikita as well as fresh gold deposits in the vast Great Dyke mountain range where minerals such as chrome and nickel are in abundance. Government is also stepping up efforts to realise maximum benefits from its mineral wealth, with plans at an advanced stage to launch small-scale gold mining syndicates in Zhombe, Shurugwi, Sanyati, Mvuma, Silobela and Kwekwe.
However, there are now noticeable models in areas such as Shurugwi, where miners are gradually diversifying into the hospitality sector in order to spread risk.
Businesses that were interviewed by The Sunday Mail Business last week indicated that this new model was strategic as it allows business ventures to hedge against losses in other sectors.
Mr Nicholas Gara, whose business - Nichrut Conference Centre and Accommodation in Shurugwi - won the second best accolade in the hotels category in the Midlands at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) annual awards last month, indicated that the business ventures were meant to complement Government efforts to promote growth in multiple sectors.
"We have a number of small-scale miners who are doing well and contributing to Government coffers. But I think as businesspeople we ought to venture into other sectors so that we complement efforts that are being made to boost other sectors as well. In that regard, we saw it appropriate to extend into the hospitality sector by establishing modern conference and accommodation facilities as a way to improve the tourism industry. We are also developing previously underdeveloped areas," explained Mr Gara.
The facility, which sits on four hectares along the Gweru-Shurugwi highway and has accommodation and conference facilities, was recently officially opened by Defence Minister Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Mr Gara said negotiations with relevant authorities for more land to bring the accommodation rooms to 50 were at an advanced stage. He said the country's tourism had endured years of negative growth and it was up to local businesspeople to invest more in the sector for it to retain its yesteryear status.
Zimbabwe's tourism sector has undergone more than a decade of negative publicity from hostile nations and media who branded Zimbabwe as an unsafe destination. However, in the past few years the sector has been witnessing a steady improvement and the co-hosting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation general assembly next month is expected to re-energise Zimbabwe's tourism.
Source - Zimpapers
