The Sunday News
Shepias Dube
ZVISHAVANE-BASED hospitality facility Pote Hill Hotel is reaping rewards from sport tourism netting at least $4 000 per week from soccer teams that visit the mining town.
In an interview on Friday hotel manager Mr Victor Mavingire said the hotel had become a home for football teams visiting the town to play soccer.
“Sports tourism is one of our lucrative markets as we host all premiership teams that visit our town to play either FC Platinum or the recently relegated Shabanie Football Club,” Mr Mavingire said.
Most teams book the facility for at least two days.
He said teams normally pay more than $4 500 for using the hotel facilities depending on the number of nights.
This year the hotel also benefited from the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Cup Winners’ Cup matches that were played in Zvishavane.
“We provided accommodation and other relevant services for the two foreign teams from Tanzania and Kenya that were hosted by FC Platinum in this tournament,” said Mr Mavingire.
The teams paid about $10 000 for their stay.
South Africa-based SuperSport officials also use the hotel facilities whenever they are covering matches at Mandava Stadium.
He said SuperSport usually brings a delegation of no less than 26 people.
Mr Mavingire said Pote Hill Hotel was synonymous with football because it was born out of the love for the sport.
“In 2012 the Zvishavane community was embarrassed when a Caf Club Champions League match between our own FC Platinum and a West African team had to be moved to Harare because of lack of internationally acceptable accommodation facilities.
“Pote Hotel was constructed to cover that gap,” he said.
Mr Mavingire said the hotel was also benefiting immensely from religious tourism which was getting popular in the Zvishavane community.
“We are also tapping in the religious tourism which is slowly entrenching its roots in town. Recently we hosted about 80 Jewish clerics who were visiting Mberengwa and Zvishavane.”
Religious tourism is gaining momentum in the country because of the rise of the prophetic healing ministries.
The hotel is also claiming a share in the educational tourism thanks to Midlands State University which has opened a campus at one of the closed asbestos mine premises.
This year, a team of 30 lecturers from the university were accommodated for close to a month at the hotel.
Apart from accommodation, Mr Mavingire said the hotel provides a range of support services which includes but are not limited to room service, same-day laundry, unlimited internet access and bar services.
