By Pius Nyondo
Local participants for the ongoing SADC summit are
finding it hard to lodge in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe following a hike by
service providers.
According to a snapshot investigation, the new prices
which are being attributed to the influx of foreign dignitaries, the hikes are
between 40 and 120 percent.
“The prices have been hiked because of the SADC hype,”
said Gift Msiska, an Area 47 lodge owner.
He added that because travellers have no option but to
find lodging, they, as business persons, have to grab opportunities.
The Economic Empowerment Action Group (EEAG), however,
has described the development as a “bad tendency.”
The group’s chairperson Lewis Chiwalo said “We’ve to be
realistic with our businesses if they are to blossom. There is also need to
look at the long term plans so that we attract more customers.”
Rooms that were previously at K12 000 are now going at
about K40 000 while those that were pegged at K39 000 are now at K63 000.
Earlier this week, Nyasa
Times revealed that the
summit has also resulted in a boom in commercial sex.
The SADC Heads of State Summit is expected to commence
today. Malawi is hosting the summit for the second time after 2001.
Malawi Pres Joyce Banda has taken over the SADC
chairmanship from her Mozambican counterpart Almando Guebuza.
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