HOTELS IN MZUZU BLAME GOVT FOR INSTIGATING POOR SERVICES

By Frank Kauteka Tembo

Some hotel owners in Mzuzu calls on authorities to seriously take their welfare at heart in addressing the various challenges faced in the tourism industry.

Speaking in an interview with Voice of Kanyawazi Managing Director for Lubinga Lodge Robert Mkandawire alleged government among other concerns, has done very little in marketing the tourism units across the country.

He said that an aggressive marketing tourism sector is vital for the social economic development of this country as Malawi have potential tourism sites that can drive foreign currency.

“Malawi tourism sector really has a lot of potential but it hasn’t been exploited and marketed well enough to attract the potential tourist.

“The government through its tourism sector should do enough to get where we should be, we should aim at making Malawi a preferred tourists destination and for us to get there we need to make sure that we have developed our industry, we have marketed what we have and then we are ready to receive these tourist,” he said.

Mkandawire said the industry has mushroomed in various sectors such accommodation, travel, food it offers and the infrastructures in general are not of standards they are supposed to be.

Mkandawire added that various sector of the industry in the country are not in standards that they are supposed to be to attract more tourists in the country that need to be upgraded.

He said various sectors have no standards to define that this is a hotel, motel, guest house, and lodge among others a development that deter tourism development in the country.

In another interview with Mphatso motel Manager Aaron Makwakwa said the standards that govern the tourism sector in the process of setting up hotels are not implemented.

“As Mphatso Motel we share the same as outlined by our colleagues, the only thing that I can add on top is that government should uplift the standards of workers in the sector because the standards that it set are not yet implemented,” he said.

On his part, Northern Region Tourism Officer Fixon Mkanda blushed aside the allegations arguing that marketing is not government’s responsibility but the owners need to set up strategies to address the syndrome.

“The issue to do with promotion of tourism industry in the North is possible if marketing is done on concerted efforts where they do their part and we [government] do our part.

“In terms of central government what happens is that when people go out there and market tourism they do generally that come to Malawi there are these services in the North, Central and Southern region and not specifically mentioning the certain units so they need to market much themselves for them to receive more tourists,” he said.

Commenting on government’s financial support for tourism industry he said government has no pocket to give tourism industry business operators saying they should get loans from financial lending institutions.

Finally Mkanda also crushed tourism industry business operators’ allegations that there are no standards to govern tourism industry arguing that government has all standards for various sectors in the tourism industry that defines each sector.

Tukumphire guest house, Moni Lodge, Chatonda lodge and Ndagha lodge among others share the same feelings.