Tourism and Environment
Victoria Falls’ luxurious The Palm River Hotel opens
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
The US$24.6 million luxurious The Palm River Hotel in Victoria Falls has opened its doors to guests in a major boost for the resort city’s hospitality landscape.
The Palm River Hotel, which is owned by Old Mutual Zimbabwe, is part of the diversified financial services giant’s diversification to more resilient sectors of the economy such as mining, energy, agriculture and tourism as well as hospitality.
The four star hotel facility overlooks the mighty Zambezi River and is one of the biggest hospitality facilities built in Victoria Falls in the last 20 years.
It is a partnership between Old Mutual and Spencer Creek, a hotel operator that runs the luxurious Ilala Lodge in Victoria falls.
The Palm River Hotel boasts 73 rooms, including a large presidential suite, honeymoon suites and one private villa.
Its location from the falls upstream of the majestic Victoria Falls means that on a clear and quiet day, guests will be able to hear the thunder and see the spray from their rooms
Old Mutual Group chairman Kumbirai Katsande said the facility had created employment for locals and skilled people.
“The Palm River project offers an opportunity for solid returns and value preservation for our valued clients,” Katsande said.
“It has also opened doors of employment to highly-skilled and energetic people, who are passionate about the town and the hospitality industry”.
Dumisani Muhlwa, the chief finance officer for Old Mutual Rest of Africa, said Palm River Hotel would play a major role in the rejuvenation of Zimbabwe’s tourism industry.
“Zimbabwe is our biggest operation on the African continent outside of South Africa,” Muhlwa said.
“We as a group have been here for over 100 years and are firmly embedded in the fabric of the country.
“We have over those 100 years invested into some of the most iconic initiatives the country has seen and we will continue to do so for the good of our policyholders, shareholders and the country at large.
“Palm River Hotel is going to become an iconic landmark in this amazing wonder of the world and in the rejuvenation of the tourism industry of this amazing country and we are very excited to be involved in its development.
“We are proud to be playing our part in the development of the economy”
Old Mutual Investment Group MD Marjorie Mayida said the financial services giant was diversifying its portfolio from one largely made of buildings in major cities anchored on insurance to private infrastructure and equity investments.
“The organisation is now diversifying and venturing into private infrastructure and equity investments, specifically in the energy sector,” Mayida said.
“The group is also seeking to increase some of its exposure to the tourism and education sectors”.
Guests at The Palm River Hotel will enjoy its river frontage, allowing them to see wildlife drinking from the mighty Zambezi.
They can also canoe on the river and enjoy a wide variety of other adventure activities available in the Victoria Falls area.
Pia Theisen, The Palm River Hotel public relations officer, said 31 rooms were ready for occupation by guests while the rest would be completed in April next year.
Pictures: The Palm River Hotel
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
The conservation world is mourning the loss of Alan Elliott, a pioneering conservationist and tourism operator who passed away this morning around 2AM at Materdei Hospital in Bulawayo.
Elliott, affectionately known as “Mandebele,” was 86 years old.
Photo by Charlene Hewat
Elliott’s contributions to conservation and tourism in Zimbabwe are immeasurable. He was one of the first people to bring tourism to Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, and founded Touch the Wild, a tourism operation that hosted numerous celebrities, including the Queen and Prince Philip.
We then contacted Charlene Hewat, a close associate of Elliott’s Presidential Elephant Research Trust (PERT), to explain further about his conservation work. Hewat described Elliott as an extraordinary conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting elephants. “Alan’s legacy is imprinted on the wild landscapes he loved so dearly and protected so fiercely,” Hewat said in a Facebook post.
In an interview, Hewat elaborated on Elliott’s work, highlighting his efforts to protect elephants in Hwange. “He went and got a decree from President (Robert) Mugabe to protect the presidential elephants, and he received that decree, and they agreed that they would not shoot any elephants within the Dete Hwange area,” Hewat explained.
Elliott’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the conservation community, with many paying tribute to his remarkable legacy. “He’s a legend. Everybody knows him,” Hewat said. “He was an MP in Hwange, spoke fluent Ndebele, and knew a lot of the ministers. He’s just an amazing man, a legend for Zimbabwe.”
As a testament to his enduring legacy, Elliott had asked Hewat to carry on his work with the Presidential Elephant Research Trust. “It was his vision to promote young Zimbabwean researchers, and that’s something that I share and think we can take forward for the country and for the youth,” Hewat said.
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