Zimbabwe Economy: $145 Mln Hilton Hotel to Change Harare, Zim Tourist Arrivals up 12% & Water, Power Infrastructure Set to Improve

$145 mln Hilton Hotel to Change Face of Harare

Construction of the $145 mln 5-star Hilton Hotel and office complex along Samora Machel Avenue in Eastlea, Harare, is scheduled to begin in April next year, Streamwalk Arcade director Farai Jere has said.

Jere's company is spearheading the project, whose construction was initially pencilled to start next month, in conjunction with his partners Hilton Worldwide and Aecom. Speaking at an occasion where he was issued with the Hilton Harare Mixed Use Development Bankable Document, Jere said the project was expected to be completed in late 2016.

Jere said the project would consist of a retail component whose construction is expected to cost $7.6 mln, office component costing $38 mln, the hotel at $57 mln and basement parking costing $11 mln, among other costs - Herald, also in Daily News.

Zim tourist arrivals up 12%

Zimbabwe recorded a 12% increase in tourist arrivals in the first half of 2013,  registering 859 995 compared with 767 393 visitors during the same period last year, according to statistics released by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.

The first half of 2013 marked the build-up to the harmonised elections but "surprisingly, the elections had little effect on tourist arrivals with a few exceptions such as Botswana, Argentina, USA, Singapore, Germany, Italy and Israel whose arrivals rose in the first quarter, but, suddenly declined in the second quarter," said the tourism body.

Asia exhibited an outstanding performance, recording a 60% growth in arrivals into Zimbabwe - Herald, also in Daily News, NewsDay

Water, power infrastructure set to improve

Progress on the procurement of equipment for the rehabilitation and reinforcement of infrastructure in the energy and water sector has begun with some of the equipment expected in the country this month, an African Development Bank official has said.

AfDB Zimbabwe Multi Donor Trust Fund manager Emmanuel Nzabanita said the implementation of the rehabilitation process had already begun in Mutare, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Chitungwiza and other places in the country.  Nzabanita said the process was expected to improve the water and power supply in the country.

He said $4 mln had been used for the power sector while the $8 mln has been channelled for water projects.

Nzabanita early this year said donor countries that include Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom and others  contributed $125 mln to AfDB for water and electricity projects in the country.

The donors raised the funds and AfDB was to manage the funds on behalf of donor countries - NewsDay.