Online Reporter
Leonard Ncube, Chronicle Correspondent
ZIMBABWE should leverage its strong bilateral relations with South Korea to unlock new opportunities for tourism growth and attract more visitors from the East Asian nation, South Korean Ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Jae-Kyung Park has said.
The ambassador made the remarks during a recent visit to Victoria Falls, where he held roundtable discussions with business leaders and tourism operators on strategies to position the resort city as a preferred destination for South Korean travellers.
During his visit, Amb Park also paid a courtesy call on Victoria Falls Mayor Councillor Prince Thuso Moyo. Their discussions focused on practical measures to improve the city’s accessibility and attractiveness to international visitors, including tourists from South Korea.
Zimbabwe welcomed close to two million tourists last year, with approximately 300 000 visiting Victoria Falls. However, Amb Park noted with concern that only about 18 000 of those visitors were South Koreans, a sharp decline from the more than 30 000 Korean arrivals recorded annually before the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said there was significant potential to restore and even grow those numbers through stronger tourism promotion efforts and by building on the excellent relations that already exist between Zimbabwe and South Korea.
“For me, the visit confirmed that there is already a meaningful South Korean visitor market, that the market is recovering and that there are practical steps that Zimbabwe and South Korea can take together to expand it further,” he said.
“We discussed practical ways to strengthen the connection between Zimbabwe’s tourism industry and the South Korean market, including greater engagement with Korean travel agencies, tourism companies and travel content creators, as well as making existing tourism information more accessible to South Korean visitors.
“I believe there is good potential to further expand the South Korean market and the Embassy will continue to work with the Zimbabwean tourism authorities and industry stakeholders to support this effort. My main takeaway is that Victoria Falls already has a world-class tourism product. The challenge is to make it even more accessible, convenient and attractive to international visitors, particularly to visitors from markets with further growth potential such as South Korea,” said the Ambassador.
Amb Park said South Korea boasts a sizeable outbound tourism market, with many of its citizens expressing growing interest in African destinations, particularly those offering wildlife, natural beauty and unique travel experiences.
He said Victoria Falls, one of the world’s most iconic natural attractions and a destination already familiar to many South Koreans, was well placed to capture a larger share of that market.
According to the ambassador, Korean tourists often visit Victoria Falls as part of wider African travel itineraries that include countries such as Botswana, Zambia, South Africa,
Kenya and Tanzania. This makes access to reliable information, seamless transport links, quality accommodation and regional coordination particularly important.
“What I heard was that there is already considerable interest in the Korean market, but there is also room to make the experience of Korean visitors more convenient and attractive.
“Korea is not a completely new market for Zimbabwe. Before the pandemic, Zimbabwe received more than 30 000 Korean visitors annually. The market is now recovering, with approximately 18 000 Korean visitors recorded last year,” said Amb Park.
As part of efforts to deepen cooperation, Amb Park said the South Korean Embassy had established a direct communication channel with the City of Victoria Falls to enable closer engagement on issues of mutual interest.
“I believe this provides a good starting point for developing stronger links between Victoria Falls and South Korean cities in areas such as tourism, culture, smart tourism, environmental protection and local economic development,” he said.
The ambassador described Victoria Falls as a gateway to a much broader tourism experience in Zimbabwe and the region, saying the destination already enjoys strong recognition among South Korean travellers.
“Victoria Falls is already quite well known in South Korea. So, from the perspective of the South Korean market, Victoria Falls does not need to be introduced. There is already strong awareness and interest.
“With appropriate infrastructure, connectivity, visitor information and targeted marketing, Victoria Falls can attract more international visitors, encourage them to stay longer and generate greater benefits for the local economy. There is considerable room to recover and eventually exceed the pre-pandemic level,” said Amb Park.
He said maintaining high standards of safety and security remained critical to attracting international tourists and called for a shift from broad tourism promotion to direct engagement with the South Korean travel industry.
Among the proposals he put forward were inviting South Korean travel agencies and tourism companies to participate in the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, organising Zimbabwe tourism roadshows in South Korea and hosting familiarisation tours for influential South Korean travel content creators.
Amb Park also highlighted opportunities for cooperation in smart tourism, digital visitor services, sustainable tourism development and destination marketing.
“My meeting with the Mayor also showed that there is potential to develop cooperation at the city-to-city level, and we have established a direct contact channel to facilitate further discussions. This means there is already an established base of South Korean travellers who know and are interested in Zimbabwe.
I, therefore, see Victoria Falls as having significant potential not only to attract more South Korean visitors, but also to encourage them to stay longer, experience more of what Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe have to offer, and contribute more to the local tourism economy,” he said.
