eBusiness Weekly
Tawanda Musarurwa
Listed hospitality group, Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG), is zero-rating all its services on the Gateway Stream application, a development that will benefit users and accelerate the company to pivot to digital.
The Gateway Stream web and mobile application — which was activated last May — is a global diversified and unified online business ecosystem that delivers perpetual, passive and active income through the ownership of markets.
And over the past few months the application has grown to include services namely: hospitality and leisure, online shopping, media, food & drink, and book-a-ride.
Said RTG chief executive officer Tendai Madziwanyika:
“Following the conclusion of a deal on data provision with mobile network operators, the company will be giving access to all Gateway Stream Services, free of bandwidth and airtime charges to the customer.
“The group unlocked value from key service providers where upon we will be able to zero rate the application and offer the use of the platform free of data cost and airtime cost across all services.
“This initiative of zero-rating data will prove to be vital in achieving the true purpose for which the Gateway Stream platform was formed: to be a one-stop-shop for enquiring and purchasing a wide-range of products and services seamlessly.”
Through Gateway Stream, RTG has positioned itself as a tech-driven business and has already undergone three years of development in this area.
It is this pivot to digital that cushioned the business against the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated lockdowns.
The group was able to optimise this asset light model and take advantage of the challenges of the pandemic which led to the growth of business in the digital space.
For FY2020, the group posted a profit before tax margin of 39 percent, up from 29 percent recorded in 2019, whilst Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) margin closed at 42 percent, a growth of 31 percent compared to 32 percent posted in 2019.
