TRAVEL Essence Magazines & Narratives PR founder and editor-in-chief Yvonne Mtengwa has called on authorities to invest in destination promotion through comprehensive strategies that align with national tourism goals.
This comes as Zimbabwe is recovering its tourism business after the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced travel both domestically and internationally.
According to the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), tourism receipts closed 2020 at US$360 million, a significant drop from the prior year’s US$1,24 billion owing to COVID-19 restrictions that barred international travel. This was followed by tourism receipts worth US$397 million in 2021, US$911 million in 2022 and US$1,16 billion last year.
This year’s receipts will be supported by regional travel as Zimbabwe hosted the seventh annual Sadc Industrialisation Week and the 44th Ordinary Sadc Summit of Heads State and Government in August.
“Some of the challenges that we face as an industry, I think promotion is a big part of it, especially on international promotion. I do get that post-COVID-19, we saw an increase in domestic tourism numbers, which is fantastic to see because traditionally, we travel to weddings, graduations and funerals, but nothing to do with leisure,” Mtengwa said on Wednesday at the third edition of the four-day 2024 Ideas Festival being held in Nyanga.
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“But, from a promotional perspective, what I find is that the private sector does a better job of promoting the product, but it does it on a brand by-brand or a particular brand perspective. Some countries are doing a really good job in terms of developing a comprehensive strategy that speaks to the nation’s ambitions for the tourism sector.”
The festival, which began on Tuesday, ends today. It is being hosted by the weekly podcast, In Conversation with Trevor, run by media mogul Trevor Ncube.
Ncube owns the local private media organisation Alpha Media Holdings, which publishes two weeklies, Zimbabwe Independent and The Standard and the daily, NewsDay, as well as operating online broadcasting company HStv
Tourism is one of the four key sectors that the government is banking on for economic recovery as a foreign currency generator.
ZTA reported that tourism receipts are estimated to have risen by 24% in the first half of the year to US$493 million from US$398 million recorded in the same period last year.
“If someone has never been to Zimbabwe and they ask me, or you, what is Zimbabwe like, there should be something that we all have ingrained in our minds that will help every person who lives in Zimbabwe or each Zimbabwean to promote their country confidently,” Mtengwa said.
“You see, so if you are speaking to somebody from the Maldives, if you are speaking to somebody from Dubai or the UAE [United Arab Emirates], where I am based, this is very clear that there is a lot of things that they can say confidently that is very, very positive. I would like to see more of that because I think sometimes as we present ourselves externally, our messaging is not all the way correct.”
She said the local tourism authorities needed to strengthen their communication ventures to promote the destination thereby boosting tourism.
“For us, if the messaging is not coming through, and does not always come through, I think that is a conversation that I think needs to be happening between the tourism board, the local tourism board and the industry stakeholders,” Mtengwa said.
She advised the local tourism destinations, resorts, hotels, and restaurants to benchmark their pricing with the quality of services to give tourists value for their money.
Mtengwa added that for the industry to boost its revenues, it needed to implement effective communication with its customers before they came into the country.
“I think certain things are very fundamental to aiding the guest experience because if I am coming from a place that is advanced and innovative in terms of the experience as a guest, I have basic expectations and a lot of it lends itself to communicating” she said.
“If you effectively communicate with people before they arrive, they know what to expect.”
