Let’s live the Zim brand!

attractive tourist destination.
Thereafter, the country adopted the brand “Zimbabwe, Africa’s Paradise” and it became sellable, especially in Western Europe, which is largely Christian and understood the biblical paradise.
What worked that time was the colonial link between Zimbabwe and Europe and many tourists wanted to see the changes in governance and a free Zimbabwe which had been rocked by war.
Two decades down the line, the brand became untenable as the world political matrix changed and Zimbabwe needed to look all over the world, and the east too.
The brand Africa’s Paradise was biased towards traditional markets and did not appeal to newly identified markets for example in the Middle East and China.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority immediately realised that Zimbabwe’s vast tourism tapestries were attractive to people in their broad totality and not to one religion, race or tribe.
Zimbabwe’s tourism tapestries are universally appealing, WONDERFUL and attractive!
ZTA craftily came up with “Zimbabwe, A World of Wonders”. Wonderful, isn’t it?
ZTA chief executive Karikoga Kaseke and his team should be applauded for being the first ones in Government’s identified six pillars of the National Economic Recovery Plan to complete their rebranding process.
No one else has done anything, despite the hullabaloo about rebranding this and that, which came with the inclusive Government.
Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, who vigorously campaigned for rebranding, seems to have fizzled out and we no longer hear him talk about what we are known for.
But back to ZTA, being the vanguard of Zimbabwe’s tourism and hospitality industry, it identified Zimbabwe’s Seven Wonders to underpin the brand.
These are: Our Wonderful People and Culture, Our Rich History and Heritage, The Majestic Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe (The medieval Grand Palace), Our Pristine Wildlife and Nature, The Mystique Eastern Highlands and The Mythical Kariba and Mighty Zambezi.
When the rebranding exercise started ZTA boss Kaseke said he attached too much importance to the rebranding process and budgeted US$500 000 for the process, over a two-year period.
So far, the process has gobbled about a third of the fund and what is left is to vigorously market the brand, through protracted local, regional and international campaigns.
It goes without saying, therefore, that Zimbabweans in their broad totality and the tourism industry in particular should embrace the new brand and act accordingly.
The tourism and hospitality industry should eat, talk, think, walk, jump the brand’s way and load everything the brand’s way. They must live the brand.
Talking of brands, it is a fact not fiction that Coca-Cola is a brand that is 125 years old. There is another living brand, I Love New York which is 43 years old.
Our brand is just a year or so old and it is no doubt a very strong brand that, when well marketed, can turn around Zimbabwe’s tourism fortunes.
It was launched to foreign and local buyers at Sanganai/Hlanganani in October last year and at the World Tourism Market in London. At the China International Travel Mart, Fitur in Spain, Seychelles, Indaba in South Africa, A’Sambeni in Bulawayo and in Gweru, this brand has all the ingredients of a good, attractive and sellable product.
The media should play a role in propping up the national tourism brand since the media in Zimbabwe is a partner to the tourism cause.
Rubbishing our own brand is detrimental to the cause and it is high time that the media in Zimbabwe separates politics from tourism.
Tourism is Zimbabwe’s face, it is the image of the country outside the politics that the media is so much obsessed with.
Our tourism brand is more important than personalities. The brand has been carefully crafted to transcend across our tribes and our regions. It portrays a national image and gives away Zimbabwe as a total tourism package.
There is one Zimbabwe and one tourism brand that is strong and should supercede all our personal differences and our hatred of those driving the brand, because the brand is supreme.
We have seen the brand. We have heard about the brand. We believe it, so let us live the brand. As for the future, only time will tell.
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