African Sun to Cease Operating Caribbea Bay Resort in Kariba, Zimbabwe: Everything You Need to Know

African Sun to Cease Operating Caribbea Bay Resort in Kariba, Zimbabwe: Everything You Need to Know

African Sun to Cease Operating Caribbea Bay Resort in Kariba, Zimbabwe: Everything You Need to Know

African Sun Limited, one of the largest hospitality groups in Zimbabwe, has announced that it will cease operations of Caribbea Bay Resort in Kariba on the 1st of March 2026. As part of the transition, it will be handed over to the Public Service Pension Fund’s (PSPF) subsidiary, Monomotapa Hospitality. This will be the first major change in the portfolio of African Sun’s focused downsizing of its asset base.

The proposed sale of Caribbea Bay Resort to Monomotapa Hospitality, a public sector retirement fund, is also part of the rationalization exercise. Monomotapa Hospitality is to ensure the seamless continuity of operations, thus the resort will continue to be of significance to Kariba’s tourism. The deal requires certain regulatory approvals, and the stakeholders are guaranteed continuity by both companies.

Transition and Future of Caribbea Bay Resort

The change in ownership is also aimed at preserving jobs at the resort and thus ensuring that the Kariba-based property, which is critical to the region’s tourism, has its value maintained. Monomotapa Hospitality will take over Caribbea Bay as a going concern, which means all existing bookings will be honored, and staff will be retained.

African Sun is working with Monomotapa Hospitality until March 2026 for an operational handover. They have assured travel partners, tour operators, and suppliers that service and reservations will remain unaffected during the transition.

African Sun’s Strategic Portfolio Shift

Over the years, African Sun has been focusing on simplifying its portfolio to concentrate on key assets. Selling Caribbea Bay Resort is a step towards its goal of releasing cash for the refurbishment of the assets that are most important to its network. African Sun plans to sell the assets to increase cash and fund the important components of its hospitality assets.

As a further step to improve the portfolio, African Sun has sold the Great Zimbabwe Hotel and continues to sell other non-core assets. The purpose of this shift is to improve operational efficiency and concentrate on assets that are critical for the sustaining growth of the company.

The Elephant Hills Resort, Holiday Inn Harare, Holiday Inn Bulawayo, Holiday Inn Mutare, and the Victoria Falls Hotel are flagship properties of their company and are proposed to have their first renovations in October 2023. These renovations allow them to keep their properties up to date and cosmopolitan and generally make the company more competitive than other similar hospitality companies in their market.

Monomotapa Hospitality and Its Increasing Dominance in the Hospitality Sector of Zimbabwe

The acquisition of Caribbea Bay Resort makes Monomotapa Hospitality’s position in the hospitality sector of Zimbabwe even stronger. If in 2025 they held the Monomotapa Hotel for US$ 18 million, then now they are more owned by the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) of Monomotapa Hospitality, which means they are making more control over the Zimbabwe government business.

The acquisition fits with the overall tourism and investment goals of the government, and since the resort continues to attract international and national tourists, the presence of Monomotapa Hospitality in Zimbabwe is crucial for the country’s tourism sector.

Maintaining Zimbabwe’s Travel Attraction

The relocation of Caribbea Bay Resort’s ownership to Monomotapa Hospitality is of great significance to the Kariba resort town and Zimbabwe’s tourism industry. The resort has been an integral part of the region’s tourism offering, enticing visitors to the area because of the natural beauty and the hospitality services. With the new ownership, stakeholders are optimistic about the continued quality of the services and job retention within the resort town.

In addition, Zimbabwe tourism has been the center of attention for the government because of the initiatives to manage foreign capital and improve the infrastructure. The country’s Caribbea Bay Resort is improving its tourism along with other new services. The changing of ownership is part of Zimbabwe’s investment in upgrading its hospitality to meet the demands of travelers in Southern Africa.

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