HON. CHIDUWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Hon. Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Zimbabwe is going to host the 2027 Cricket World Cup together with South Africa and Namibia. However, Zimbabwe currently has got hotel rooms deficit. I wanted to find out from the Hon. Minister, what is the Government policy with regards to ensuring that as a country, when we host such events, we have adequate conference facilities and hotel rooms? I submit.
THE MINISTER OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. RWODZI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would like to thank Hon. Chiduwa for the question. Our President, from 2018 until date, has a mantra that Zimbabwe is open for business, whereby in our Ministry we ride on that. We are very aware that we are actually hosting two World Cup events for cricket. The first one is in August 2026 for under nineteens and the second one is for the main teams in the world which we are going to co-host with South Africa.
We are co-hosting the first one with South Africa and Namibia. Yes, we do not have enough rooms and we are preaching, going for road shows, enticing those who can invest in the country in terms of accommodation to be adequate. However, we are actually very happy and we take this with two hands.
We take cognisance of the fact that our rooms are not enough to host the World Cup. We have already agreed with Zambia in Livingstone, Katima Mulilo and Kasane. What is happening now at the moment and exciting, is that Zimbabwe has become a hub of the southern region for tourism. The players will be coming into Zimbabwe, we have agreed with Livingstone, Katima Mulilo and Kasane for extra accommodation that we would need. However, again these are just contingent plans. We have three hotels right now as we speak, that have started construction in Victoria Falls. So, yes, we are doing everything that we are doing so that it is a contingent plan. To answer the question more is to tell the Hon. Member technically we have enough rooms. Let us tell the House that we are co-hosting with South Africa and Namibia and it is not like all the teams will be coming to the country at one go. They will be coming and going to another country and another country but everything that we are doing is just a contingency plan because we are telling the teams to come and have their base in Zimbabwe so that we have more tourism income during that event.
HON. GUMEDE: With us preparing to co-host this Cricket World Cup event, do you have specific incentives or support mechanisms that you are offering investors around the hospitality sector to urgently increase accommodation? I also wanted to find out how the Government is ensuring that host cities are ready in terms of accommodation, transport and tourism services.
HON. RWODZI: Yes, there are incentives that are given to investors who come into the country to invest, particularly in the special economic zones. This World Cup or the land that we have in Victoria Falls is in a special economic zone. So, ZIDA incentives apply from not paying tax for five years and also for importing any product or equipment that comes out of the country duty-free and many other incentives that ZIDA offers. So, yes, we are doing that.
HON. G. K. HLATYWAYO: Can the Hon. Minister explain how road shows are going to lead to increased room capacity?
HON. RWODZI: We have been doing these roadshows since end of 2023. It is calling in the investors who are happy to come and invest, telling our story, the advantages of coming to Zimbabwe and the results are already there. The media is writing about that, so we contact these roadshows in other countries. I will give an example of the roadshows that we had end of last year in South Africa in Johannesburg and Cape Town. We actually have three investors right now that are in the process of procedures with ZIDA, which shows that these roadshows have results. I thank you.
HON. MUROMBEDZI: Given the scale of the 2027 Cricket World Cup and the global attention that it is going to be bringing to the country and to make sure we are not going to be caught unawares, I am respectful through your Chair, Madam Speaker, I would like to ask the Hon. Minister to bring a Ministerial Statement which shows the current bed capacity in Victoria Falls, the planned hotel and lodge expansion, the policy incentives to encourage private sector participation as well as the whole of Government approach that is being done for that project so that if there are any gaps, this House can assist in that regard.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister has literally responded to most of those things that you have requested for a Ministerial Statement and I think it is not necessary Hon. Murombedzi