Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe in Masvingo
African countries must intensify collaboration in tourism marketing, product development and ease of movement to increase visitor numbers, lengthen stays and retain a greater share of tourism spending, Tourism and Hospitality Deputy Minister Tongai Mnangagwa has said.
Speaking at the inaugural Tourism CEOs’ Roundtable held on the sidelines of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo in Masvingo yesterday, Deputy Minister Mnangagwa said African destinations could derive greater economic benefits by presenting the region as one interconnected tourism destination rather than competing as individual markets.
The roundtable was held under the theme, “One Region, One Destination: Advancing Integrated and Sustainable Tourism Growth.”
“Our tourism landscape is changing rapidly and demanding that we as African destinations rethink how we work together, how we compete, and most importantly how we position Africa for the next generation of tourism growth.
“Tourism is no longer simply about attracting visitors to individual countries. It is about building communities with destinations, connected economies and compelling regional experiences.”
Deputy Minister Mnangagwa said tourists visiting one country often have limited time to explore its attractions, but a coordinated regional tourism package could encourage them to extend their stay and travel across several destinations.
“If a visitor has to come to Zimbabwe, they won’t be able to spend more than three days in Zimbabwe.
“But if a visitor is invited to come to Zimbabwe, they can spend more than a week because of what Zimbabwe offers, what Zambia offers and what South Africa offers.
“So a collective effort is very important for us to capture more and more tourists who come to our region and spend.”
His remarks underline the economic value of multi-destination tourism, where countries can complement rather than compete with each other by packaging attractions, events and experiences into seamless regional itineraries.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief executive Dr George Manyaya echoed the call, saying African destinations needed to adopt a collective approach when marketing themselves on international markets.
“It is important that we market what we call One Africa Tourism such that when we go out of the continent, we go as one brand,” he said.
Dr Manyaya was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the inaugural Tourism CEOs Roundtable in Masvingo.
He said the forthcoming Cricket World Cup provided a practical opportunity for Zimbabwe, South Africa and Namibia to leverage a major international sporting event for joint tourism promotion.
“The immediate example is the upcoming Cricket World Cup next year; Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe signed a memorandum of understanding,” he said.
The approach could see visitors attracted by one major event being encouraged to explore attractions across several participating countries, thereby spreading tourism expenditure across the region.
Dr Manyaya said regional cooperation could also result in innovative travel packages linking destinations across geographical boundaries.
“Imagine you are marketing a package and tell someone to start in Kenya, they come to Botswana and pass through Zambia to see the other side of Victoria Falls and come to Zimbabwe.”
He said the CEO Roundtable was intended to provide tourism leaders with a platform to develop practical frameworks for such cooperation.
“This is the reason we are having this inaugural CEO Roundtable so that we explore and come up with frameworks of marketing our destinations,” he said.
African countries, he added, should also coordinate their participation at international tourism fairs and roadshows instead of presenting themselves as isolated destinations.
“When we go to international roadshows, we go together as African countries,” he said.
Dr Manyaya said stronger cooperation would ultimately translate into increased tourist arrivals, longer stays and higher tourism receipts across the continent.
“There must be collaboration,” he added.
Deputy Minister Mnangagwa said the private sector and tourism authorities had a central role to play in turning the regional integration vision into commercially viable tourism products.
“It is therefore imperative that the conversation today must go beyond individual countries’ performance.
“As CEOs, you are deliberately expected to discuss the ways on how to collectively build an African tourism industry that is more integrated, more competitive, more resilient and capable of catering to a greater share of the global tourism flows.”
He said Africa needed to shift from selling individual destinations to selling the broader African tourism experience.
“Africa must move from selling destinations in isolation to selling the African tourism experience. A visitor coming to Africa should be able to experience several countries as part of one seamless journey.”
Such an approach, Deputy Minister Mnangagwa said, could leverage the continent’s diverse tourism assets, ranging from wildlife and heritage to gastronomy, adventure and business tourism.
He said regional tourism authorities should work closely with the private sector to develop cross-border tourism products, joint marketing campaigns and shared events.
“As leaders, you must therefore strengthen cross-border tourism products, regional circles, joint marketing initiatives, shared events and coordinated destination promotion.
“Our borders should not become barriers to tourism. Instead, they should become gateways to multicultural African experience,” said Deputy Minister Mnangagwa.
Ease of movement would be critical to the success of such initiatives, particularly as tourists increasingly seek experiences spanning several countries.
“There is a need to make it easier for an international traveller to visit Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and beyond as one compelling African journey.
“This is the type of collaboration that can transform the continent’s tourism competitiveness.”
The push for deeper regional cooperation is also attracting interest beyond Southern Africa, with Côte d’Ivoire seeking to strengthen tourism linkages with countries in the region.
Director of the Bureau of Tourism at the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in South Africa, Ahmed Soro, said the Masvingo engagement provided an important platform for building stronger tourism connections between West and Southern Africa.
“From an Ivorian perspective, it is an honour to attend this CEO’s Roundtable and the main objective is to strengthen the country’s integration into African dynamics, particularly between West and Southern Africa,” he said.
Mr Soro said Côte d’Ivoire’s participation was also aimed at promoting its tourism brand, Sublime Côte d’Ivoire, in Southern African markets while identifying potential partners across the tourism value chain.
“It provides a platform to promote Sublime Côte d’Ivoire in the Southern African markets, identify partnerships with tourism boards, tour operators, airlines, media and content creators,” he said.
Mr Soro said Côte d’Ivoire was also keen to share its experiences in domestic tourism, business tourism and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), while learning from other African destinations.
He said the ultimate objective was to translate the engagements into structured cooperation that could strengthen tourism flows between the two regions.
“Ultimately, this Roundtable should help position Côte d’Ivoire as a gateway to West Africa and as a complementary partner for Southern Africa destinations, while preparing more structured cooperation and official participation in future initiatives.”
The regional collaboration drive comes as Zimbabwe uses the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo as a platform to strengthen tourism linkages with international buyers, tourism boards and industry players.
With Africa competing for a larger share of global tourism flows, industry leaders argue that integrated tourism circuits could provide the continent with a stronger position by combining destinations, attractions, cultures and experiences into a single journey.
For Zimbabwe and its neighbours, the approach could unlock opportunities to increase tourist arrivals, extend average length of stay, boost expenditure and create wider economic opportunities across the tourism value chain.
