Zimbabwe’s second-largest city, Bulawayo, will soon see a new hotel opening its doors to tourists.

The Derby Hotel, situated near the Bellevue shopping centre, has 30 rooms as well as a restaurant, indoor/outdoor conference centre with capacity for over 500 people, parking and garden facilities.

The double-storey hotel – which has already been licensed by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority – is in the final stages of construction, with a number of rooms already fitted with furniture.

A pre-opening was held on March 31 for players in the tourism and local business sectors. The Derby Hotel’s Finance Director, Obert Masara, says: “The hotel is already open for business as all licensing has been completed. Right now we are doing the finishing touches. More than 50% of the rooms are in operation, so we are working on finishing up what’s left. In a week’s time we will be done; we are left with painting and furnishing.”

Masara believes the hotel will be a game changer in the tourism sector in terms of fuelling local employment. “We are looking to employ about 40 people directly and even more downstream. We are focusing on buying local in terms of our requirements, and hope we are able to grow other businesses besides ourselves.”

The project was initiated in 2015, with its opening coming a few weeks before the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, which takes place from April 24-28.

The country is in the spotlight as a burgeoning tourist destination, with a target set for 2.8m foreign tourist arrivals by December (following a recorded 2.4m in 2017).