The hospitality industry in Zimbabwe has suffered huge blows just like anywhere else due to the pandemic. I know of several business owners in the industry who have been brought to their knees. Tourist inflows from neighbouring countries and abroad have significantly gone down. Lockdown restrictions and now especially due to some parts of the world being considered hotspots have caused lots of damage. However, that does not take away from the tourism industry its importance to the Zimbabwean economy. That is why I am discussing some hospitality industry business ideas in Zimbabwe.

Travel Agency

The idea behind this is to be the go in-between between prospective tourists and a wide range of hospitality and tourism excursions. You can target both domestic and international tourists. You will essentially be putting together packages that tourists can choose from. For example, a package can be say, one week long. The 7 days will be characterised by an itinerary. Everything will be tailor-made including all the basics e.g. where you will stay, where you will eat and so on. This is all planned by the travel agency; all a client has to do is to choose a package and pay. So this is one line of business you can try out if you can cultivate a good network in the industry.

Accommodation Services

Obviously, tourists will need a place to stay and that is where this comes in. There are several possible approaches you can choose from. You can easily sign up for a property or properties you own to be AirBnBs. Alternatively, you can build a lodge or anything related to that. You can even put together a caravan park – which would just need some land space and basic amenities. You could double it up as a campsite or do it exclusively as one. These are some of the options you can pursue here.

Transport Services

This is yet another niche where you can consider several options. You can provide car rental, car hire, airport pickups, taxi services, and so on. This is a good space because you can charge premium prices and clients will pay. The hospitality industry tends to have stuff premium priced so you can make good money here.

Food And Beverage Services

So many options you can explore as this is one of the most active domains in hospitality and tourism. You can set up an eatery in form of a restaurant, hotel, and so on. You can also think of things like bars, coffee shops and the like. You can also consider the mobile option where you can have mobile food trucks. All these will be strategic to the activity that goes on in this industry.

Audio-Visual Services – Photography And Videography

People love to capture memories, especially when visiting nice places. As much as most people nowadays move with their own cameras they still would need such services. They can get to enjoy themselves without having to think of stopping to take pictures or videos. You can provide some sought-after services that will allow people to enjoy themselves without any distractions.

Content Creation – Blogging, Vlogging, And Podcasting

There is a huge appetite for engaging content nowadays. You can make a name for yourself by visiting resorts place and documenting your experiences. If you put together stunning visuals you can draw in so many people. It would be strategic to use all 3 approaches so that you tap into a bigger audience. It is very possible to end up doing just this full time. Some people end up landing influencer marketing deals where service providers pay them to showcase their brands.

Arts And Crafts

There are two broad options you can explore here. If you are personally gifted in making art and crafts, you can sell that at resorts places. Strategically you would have to focus on indigenous themes. These can be things like stone sculpting, wood sculpting, and reed work, amongst many others. Alternatively, you can source and resell art and crafts. I know of many people who buy stone sculptures and go to sell them in places like Victoria Falls. The other approach would be to set up a curios shop where people can buy Zimbabwean-themed products.

These are some of the business ideas for your consideration; they are nowhere near comprehensive of course. Bear in mind that the hospitality industry is made up of 4 major categories. These are food and beverages, travel and tourism, recreation, and lodging. Thus there are several more variations and separate focuses to what I covered in this article. Activity is relatively low at the moment but I am confident the pandemic and its negative effects will go down over time.