Source: Hoteliers ready to host visitors during ZITF 2026 – herald
Sikhulekelani Moyo
Zimpapers Business Hub
HOSPITALITY industry players have expressed their readiness to host visitors during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, with both hotels and lodges reporting full bookings and lodges ahead of the event.
This year’s exhibition will run from April 20 to 25, 2026 at the Zimbabwe International Conference and Exhibition Smart City (ZICES) in Bulawayo under the theme: “Connected Economies, Competitive Industries”.
The hospitality sector is expected to benefit significantly from this event.
Key players in the industry held a meeting on Wednesday to assess members’ preparedness.
Responding to questions from Zimpapers Business Hub, Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) Bulawayo representative Mrs Grace Guchu-Nkomo said preparations were progressing well.
Bulawayo is set to host visitors attending this year’s edition of ZITF and the 46th Independence celebrations to be held in Maphisa, 118 kilometres from Zimbabwe’s second largest city.
“The current situation in terms of preparedness after our meeting seems to be positive with the two prime events happening, the ZITF and Independence,” said Mrs Guchu-Nkomo.
“The three (major) hotels in the city are fully booked and waiting for the final payments to be made on these bookings.
“The lodges and guest houses, as well, have a fair share of the bookings with most of them reporting that they are full, also waiting for final payments for the booking to be paid for.”
Mrs Gichu-Nkomo said the sector is calling upon service providers to be lenient during the trade fair, and she also appealed to the local authority to attend to small roads that lead “The plea during the meeting was for ZESA to be lenient on power cuts as we will be hosting guests from all over,” she added.
“They appreciated the road works currently underway, with cause for concern still being on the smaller roads from main roads as they’re not being attended to.”
Meanwhile, there has been an outcry over accommodation rates, amid complaints that the prices have spiked due to strong demand.
“There is a friend of mine who asked me to book for her, but the prices are too high, with some lodges charging above U$120 per night and some US$300 per night for three beds,” said a lady who requested anonymity.
However, Mrs Guchu-Nkomo said, “In terms of pricing, we haven’t really received any complaints formally and ordinarily prices are not the same during ZITF.”
With some players in the hospitality sector falling under small and medium enterprises, Bulawayo Chamber of SMEs vice-chairperson, Ms Sithabile Bhebhe, called on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the city to utilise the ZITF period to generate the much-needed revenue for their businesses.
“There will be a lot of activity in the city during the ZITF week; this is an opportunity for our MSMEs to provide various services and products they have in different sectors,” she said.
She said the ZITF period for MSMEs to market their products to a wider and more diverse clientele and called for exhibition stand prices that accommodate most MSMEs, which have limited resources.
Business leaders said exhibiting at ZITF offered companies a rare opportunity to directly engage policymakers, investors and potential clients under one roof while showcasing innovation, new products and services to a diverse audience.
For emerging enterprises and start-ups, the platform provides visibility and credibility, enabling them to benchmark their products against industry leaders while unlocking new distribution channels.
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