Page 16 - Meetings Zimbabwe 2nd Edition

Vayeni’s Brown (right).
predominantly to small group travel in the MICE sector: “Business executives looking to travel in numbers of five to 20 people can be easily catered for in all regions of the country,” he said. “Not only will facilities exceed expectations, they will also have a memorable shared experience to rival any African destination.”
Explaining the accommodation picture, Brown said that in the 1990s, Zimbabwe had gained traction as a popular group destination for all aspects of the MICE market with Victoria Falls leading the way, offering larger hotels to cater for groups. Additionally, accommodation capacity rose in other corners of the country, such as Kariba, Hwange, Nyanga, Vumba, and in the Harare and Bulawayo areas.
The subsequent downturn in arrivals took a heavy toll, particularly on big resort hotels, but from 2009, when destination perception began to improve, a revival of the accommodation inventory began, largely confined to the Victoria Falls region and a few properties in Harare: “Other areas historically well supported have continued to struggle, but in a reversal of fortune, smaller properties across the country have undergone significant refurbishment and a number of entirely new lodges and hotels of up to 40 beds have been built,” said Brown.
As such, the ‘boutique’ section of the MICE market has a real opportunity now to take advantage of the Zimbabwe’s unique and appealing product. Victoria Falls remains the obvious gateway, but the wow factor and exclusivity sought by organisers marketing to the premium incentive sector can be wooed by more imaginative itineraries, he added, citing Hwange, Matobo Hills, Gonarezhou, Eastern Highlands and Kariba which all share facilities and experiences that are world class.
Each of these areas can cater for numbers up to 40 people, offer basic conference facilities and unique incentive and wedding opportunities and, during green/group season, availability is almost invariably present.
Hwange
Accommodation: Mainly small intimate lodges of not more than 20 beds, where service levels are high, rooms are spacious, food is excellent and locations/views impressive, often overlooking a waterhole frequented by big game including elephant, lion and buffalo.
Activities: Comfortable safari style game drives and well planned walks with plentiful animal sightings. Expect excellent Zimbabwean guiding.
Access: By road - 90 minutes from Victoria Falls to most areas of the park; by air, there are many airstrips in the park accessible to light aircraft offering a short drive to camps.
Wow factors: A bush dinner is particularly special lit by lanterns and fires under incredible night skies, with delicious cuisine and the surroundings of wild Africa creating an atmosphere to remember.
Matobo Hills
Accommodation: Lodge style accommodation often built creatively to take advantage of the varied granite rock landscape, which includes caves previously used as ancient human dwellings. Typically 10 to 20 beds available, but different camps are close enough together so larger numbers can be catered as required.
Activities: Game drives, scenic walks to places of interest, birding, rhino tracking on foot
Access: A 45-minute drive from Bulawayo, where there is an international airport serviced by regular flights from Johannesburg.
Since 2009, a number of entirely new lodges have been built”
16 Meetings Zimbabwe 2015