THERE is welcome activity in the tourism industry stirred by the new political dispensation which has renewed investor confidence in the country.
Zimbabwe’s tourism sector has been on a drive to regain its yesteryear status of Africa’s finest destination.
The 1990s saw the country being the preferred destination of all major source markets.
A slump in the sector was experienced when the country embarked on the Land Reform Programme that witnessed the landless black majority owning pieces of productive land.
However, the somewhat thawing of relations between the country and the West has led to improvements in the tourism sector.
Rebranding the tourism sector from ‘Zimbabwe—Africa’s Paradise’ to ‘Zimbabwe—A World of Wonders’ has slowly seen an increase in the number of tourists visiting the country.
Officiating the launch of the National Consultative Stakeholder workshop on the National Tourism Sector Strategy in Harare, Vice-President and Minister of Defence and War Veterans (Rtd) General Constantino Chiwenga said tourism players need to take advantage of the new dispensation to market the country.
“In the compilations of St Augustine, he is quoted saying: ‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page’. Tourism is all about travel and one can read many pages of this world by visiting places. It only requires that as we plan our strategies, we must ensure that we have the best chapters of the whole book for travellers to take interest in destination Zimbabwe,” the Vice-President said.
“It is encouraging to note that the advent of the new administration has attracted renewed confidence in Zimbabwe as a preferred destination for tourists and investors. Stakeholders should therefore take advantage of the prevailing goodwill of the international community towards the new dispensation to vigorously market the country as the preferred tourist destination not only in the region but the entire world.”
VP Chiwenga said strategies to grow tourism had also to factor in domestic tourism.
“Domestic tourism, as has been exhibited elsewhere, is a key component to tourism growth and needs to be harnessed in the envisaged National Tourism Sector Strategy. In this regard, a strategy should make entry and exit of tourists smooth and should facilitate easy access to tourism centres. As part of its efforts to develop and promote tourism and facilitate the ease of movement for tourists, the Government has placed high priority on the review and appropriate amendment of the Visa Regime in its work plan in the first 100 days from January 2018.”
Various Government departments, including the Ministry of Home Affairs and Culture are working towards ensuring a conducive environment for the tourism sector to thrive.
Meanwhile, the National Handling Services (NHS) is acquiring new state-of-the-art equipment to improve aircraft and baggage handling to make tourists experience more memorable.
The Ministry of Transport plans to develop new airports in Mutare and Beitbridge as well as refurbish Robert Gabriel Mugabe International, Kariba and Buffalo Range airports as these will improve access to tourist destinations across the country.
The Diaspora Infrastructure Development Group, in partnership with South Africa’s Transnet, have delivered the first consignment of 13 locomotives and 200 wagons as part of the US$400 million National Railways of Zimbabwe recapitalisation.
Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry Prisca Mupfumira said there is need to give Zimbabwe a competitive edge over other countries in the region.
“As stakeholders engage, I urge you to brainstorm over our unique God given products which we can market to attract a cocktail of tourists. Our green tea has been lab-tested and certified to be more nutritious than many teas from abroad. We have the mopane worm and various poultry dishes,” said Min Mupfumira.
“As we launch the consultative process to craft a National Strategy, all stakeholders need to take pride and ownership of our culture. We too can create great stories out of our rich heritage that will move travellers from afar to visit our beautiful country to tell of its goodness.
“Such works of greatness require committed planning, hence the launch of this consultative process. Without a clear strategy, the tourism industry becomes unorganised and revellers often shun disorganised destinations. The number of tourists decrease and profits decrease.”
Tourism accounts for one in every 10 jobs globally.
It has been contributing significantly to national income, foreign exchange and employment generation.
United Nations World Tourism Organisation forecasts that by year 2030, internationally, annual tourist arrivals will reach 1,8 billion while in Africa, arrivals are expected to grow from 58 million to 134 million a year.
Zimbabwe is currently earning over US$800 million from tourism activities and the sector employs around 300 000 people directly and indirectly.
Projections of tourist arrivals are expected to grow from 2,1 million registered in 2016 to over 2,5 million in 2018.
Also speaking at the launch, Sophie Zirebwa, a Domestic Tourism and Strategic Rearch officer with Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) said there is need to improve the visibility of the country’s resorts on the social media.
“Zimbabwe is ranked number three on tourist arrivals and number five in tourist receipts. It has taken us 10 years to get from where we were in 1999. The Visitor Exit Survey showed that 34 percent of the visitors got information about Zimbabwe’s resorts on the internet and social media. That is not a good number and something needs to be done to improve the visibility of this destination,” Zirebwa said.
“We are regarded as an add-on destination for most international tourists alongside Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. Most of these visitors pass through just to see the Victoria Falls before they head back to their countries. These tourists spent an average of two to three nights in Zimbabwe. The average expenditure per trip is US$1 250 while African tourists spend US$310.”
Chris Anagnostellis of An African Anthology in South Africa said Zimbabwe needed to understand why the international visitor comes to to the country in order to retain the visitor.
“Many visitors mention Victoria Falls several times and that destination is not only a blessing to Zimbabwe but the region. The country needs to build a hub and a base so that the visitor can stay and spend more,” Anagnostellis said.
“Zimbabwe needs to deal with the perception and build infrastructure so that the international visitor can spend more. If the visitor is willing to spend US$300 on a local flight in Maun, Botswana, there is no need for him/her not to spend that here.”
Chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Council of Tourism Paul Matamisa said the country needs to build domestic tourism in order for the industry to grow.
“The industry needs to grow domestic tourism to at least 60 percent by creating special packages so that our locals can appreciate and conserve their tourist facilities. Demystifying tourism will help make people understand what it is and this will change the culture and help derive wealth from tourism,” said Matamisa.