The Sunday Mail
Tawanda Musarurwa
Hospitality concern, Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG), is showing an innovative streak as it pins growth beyond facile hotel infrastructure in its endeavour to pursue what it says is “an asset-light business model”.
Recently, the company formed a domestic tour operations arm, Heritage Expeditions Africa (HExA), which sells and markets tourism packages for destinations around the country and the region.
The packages include HExA’s own packages and also those packaged by other similar service providers. HExA represents new revenue streams that tap into latent demand for small group transportation needs and the provision of activities to a growing tourism customer base.
Said RTG chief executive Tendai Madziwanyika: “We procured a consignment of six 20-seater buses in May this year, which will be used for tours and transfers around the country.
“We have opened the Heritage Adventure Park at the Rainbow Towers Hotel and Conference Centre. It is the first zipline attached to a hotel building in Zimbabwe. This activity is normally found in resort destinations, but we saw an opportunity to optimise the vast space the Rainbow Towers Hotel & Conference Centre sits on. There was a gap in the market for a facility that offers team building activities. “
“The Heritage Adventure Park is an ideal destination for families seeking some high adrenaline leisure experience in an accessible location in the heart of the city!” he said. The Adventure Park also has Wi-Fi connectivity that ensures guests remain connected.
The “Sunshine City Tour” is a popular offering by HExA, that takes guests on a 2 to 4-hour tour of the city of Harare.
It is steeped in the history of the city of Harare, every stop is a history lesson that leaves guests with a better understanding and knowledge of the city.
Stops along the route include Mbare Musika, Kopje — view of the city, the National Heroes Acre, Balancing Rocks in Epworth and Mukuvisi Woodlands to name a few.
Set in a lush green garden located behind the Rainbow Towers Hotel & Conference Centre, the Heritage Adventure Park offers adrenalin charged activities which include a double adult zipline, children’s zipline, a high beam & crock walk, paint ball shooting, and a 10-metre drop abseiling and climbing wall.
Beyond tours and activities, another innovation by RTG is its Gateway Stream mobile and internet application to deliver all things tourism and more for both the local and international market.
The Gateway Stream is a hotel and tourism industry booking platform that allows guests to book for hospitality and tourism industry products, services and pay for them online. It is made up of a mobile application and a website digital online platform.
The application allows users to browse for hospitality services and pay online using mobile money platforms such as Ecocash and M-Pesa, international and local issued bank cards.
The group recently reconfigured the application to accept multi-currencies from major African countries (payments can now be made in major local African currencies and via their local mobile money wallets such as shillings and M-Pesa for Kenya).
The Gateway Stream platform now accepts payments from anywhere in the world in US dollars.
“In line with the expansion drive to recruit accommodation partners on the African continent, the company has partnered with a regional online payment company to list partners in South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique and Namibia. To date, 15 partners have been recruited in Botswana, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania “said Madziwanyika.
He said this is in addition to the regional RTG Virtual partners already listed on the platform; namely, Indaba Hotel, Birchwood Hotel, Sandton Lodge and 48 City Lodge Group of hotels, which are currently available for booking via the Gateway Stream platform and payment can now be made in US dollars.
During the first half of 2019, the focus of the Gateway Stream was to enhance the user experience as well as expansion of the platform to include properties outside Zimbabwe.
