Market least visited tourism destinations, Zim urged

Kudakwashe Mhundwa Business Reporter
Zimbabwe should develop marketing strategies for least visited domestic destinations to boost tourism growth.

The recommendation is contained in the findings of a research conducted between 2015 and 2016 titled “Visitor Exit Survey Report 2015 /16” released on Tuesday.

VES findings say Harare, Bulawayo and Victoria Falls are the most visited places hence the need to increase geographical dispersion of visitors in the country

“This can be achieved through spreading marketing efforts to cover resort areas such as Matopos, Kariba, Nyanga, Mana pools, Gonarezhou and Great Zimbabwe.”

Speaking at the ceremony for dissemination of the research findings, Secretary for Micro-Economic Planning and Investment Promotion Dr Desire Mutize Sibanda said VES provides information for marketing destinations, adequate for macro-economic planning and investment promotion.

“The main objective of the 2015 /16 VES is to provide invaluable information targeted at providing an input to development of effective marketing strategies, business decision-making by tourism operators as well as policy formulation and tourism development planning by Government,” he said

Tourism is one of the fastest growing and economically strategic industries in Zimbabwe, accounting for about 11 percent of the country’s GDP with close to two million arrivals a year as showed by a survey conducted in 2015.

“Tourism continues to play an important role in the global economy and due to its strong economic multiplier effects it can provide a low hanging fruits for the generation of foreign currency. Further, tourism also embraces small and medium enterprises. In this regard, tourism is still one of the largest employment sectors in most countries, including Zimbabwe,” he said.

Apart from strengthening marketing strategies VES also showed that there is need to capacitate Air Zimbabwe to service international routes (the high spending markets) especially key source markets like Europe and the Americas.

There is also need to attract more international airlines into the destination Zimbabwe.