adminIsdore Guvamombe Tourism Matrix
It’s done, it’s pocketed and sealed. The 20th session of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation is gone, but it has left a lasting legacy. The prophets of doom were proved wrong. Zimbabwe is back and firmly in the driving seat of the world tourism family. Yes, there have been financial, infrastructural and physical gains for the people of Zimbabwe, but mostly this has been a diplomatic victory on perception management.
In the post-UNWTO General Assembly era, it is time to follow up on the goodwill, on the impression and business deals that we clinched or discussed.
The UNWTO indaba has by all means managed to rebrand us as a country. It has been able to rinse clean our image that was being soiled by some detractors in Europe that we are a rogue state and therefore very dangerous for tourists.
The UNWTO General Assembly managed to remove Eurocentric spectacles through which we were being seen and gave the more than 1 000 delegates-cum-tourism ambassadors their own personal view of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe gave a good account of itself as a tourist destination both in terms of natural attractiveness and reception, peace and stability. All those who came here experienced first hand what Zimbabwe has to offer.
Each and every country that has hosted or posted its bid to host the UNWTO has done to use the organisation as a tool to leverage it on certain issue.
In our case, we really needed to deal with perception management issues. Our name and face as a tourist destination had been soiled to stinking levels by a rabid European media, using human rights violations, a dearth of democracy, lack of good governance and accountability as a smokescreen behind which Europe his its anger for partaking the land reform programme.
Today, the world tourism family — that include tourism ministers, captains of industry, tourist wholesalers and source markets — now understand that Zimbabwe is among the best places that one can travel to and come back with indelible memories.
We now need to work on pushing tourist volumes into our own destinations, with the Victoria Falls being the epicentre and amphitheatre of tourism.
We have the tourism product, we have the human resource and we need to have the business will.
We have the political will, given the commitment and assurance given by President Mugabe at both the official opening and closing ceremonies.
We have the political will in President Mugabe having signed the UNWTO special letter, which makes himself a tourism ambassador.
It is a trite but true observation that we had a hectic time preparing for the UNWTO General Assembly, but there is no justification for us to take a rest.
It is game on. It is time to move on and make follow- ups. It is time for us to go for the business deals.
We have the capacity to turn our fortunes into big business. Let us ride on the crest of our successful hosting of the UNWTO General Assembly. From there we move to the tiger tournament, yet another important event.
Feedback: isdore.guvamombe @zimpapers.co.zw
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