Hospitality group Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) says it has vaccinated at least 70% of its employees as it gears up for normalization of operations.

Like most travel and tourism players across the globe, RTG was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as countries implemented lockdowns.

“The group responded to the government’s free vaccination program and has recorded an impressive 70% vaccination
of its staff,” said RTG company secretary Tapiwa Mari in its first quarter trading update.

“The vaccination efforts will likely spur confidence in the tourism industry.

“The group will continue to prioritise the safety and health of its employees and guests as well as observing the World Health Organisation and Ministry of Health and Child Care Covid-19 guidelines across all its business units.”

Meanwhile the group is reaping rewards from the move to go lite with its Gateway Stream application.

The Gateway Stream web and mobile application is a global diversified and unified online business ecosystem that delivers perpetual, passive and active income through the ownership of markets.

The application was launched in 2018.

The group said although business was generally low due to Covid-19, the digital platform continued to perform well during the quarter.

“The group’s mobile and web application the Gateway Stream, which was activated in May 2020 continued to gain momentum and has become a source of replacement business, as well as a driver for revenue growth,” said Mari.

“The growth trajectory in Gateway Stream is being led by groceries, hardware and accommodation, while food and drink (Gateway Eats), Events and Insurance channels have started recording business activities and are showing high potential going into the future.”

During the period under review, the group’s inflation adjusted revenues closed at $198 million, down from $368 million recorded over the same period last year, a development management attributed to “a consequence of the reduction in occupancy.”

RTG’s first quarter of the year closed at occupancies of 12 percent.

“This performance is attributed to the increased business activity in the month of March as there was no significant business activity in the first two months of 2021,” said the group.

“The comparative 2020 occupancies were 33 percent representing full activity during that period except for Rainbow Towers Hotel & Conference Centre which was closed for a planned refurbishment.

“It is pleasing to note that, activities in city hotels have significantly increased mainly driven by conferencing. The Victoria Falls area hotels remain affected by the impact of Covid-19 on world travel,” said RTG.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) 2020 report, Africa has been the most affected in terms of international tourism because it is a long-haul
destination.

Management however said it is positive that airlines are now beginning to resuscitate regional routes, which will have a positive impact on regional tourism.

The group’s tour operations arm Heritage Expeditions Africa activities were also affected by the lockdown.

“We anticipate the volumes to grow in line with increasing domestic business activities,” said Mari.

In terms of the outlook, the group is looking to enhance the capacity of Gateway Stream services, through “the full activation of all the 12 Gateway Stream revenue channels.”

“These 12 revenue channels give the group the opportunity to derive revenues from various and diversified segments of the economy,” said management.