dyton mupawaendaThe Herald, 25 April, 1984
VISITS to the Great Zimbabwe Ruins increased by about 54 percent during the first quarter of the year and by about 33 percent over the Easter Holidays compared with last year, the Director of Museums and National Monuments, (southern region), Dr Kenneth Mufuka, said yesterday.
He said that 7 134 people visited the Great Zimbabwe Ruins from January to March this year compared with 4 627 last year.
Lessons For Today
Domestic tourism is an important vehicle for driving growth and also encouraging inhabitants of a country to take an active interest in their heritage as well as promote one’s knowledge of their country.
Encouraging domestic tourism helps to reduce over reliance on foreign tourists. For instance, Zimbabwe has a wide variety of tourist attractions but many tourists tend to flock to Victoria Falls. So by encouraging locals to visit the country’s tourist attractions tourism players can help fill the gap left by foreign tourists.
Domestic tourism can only thrive if properly marketed and packaged. Most tourist resorts tend to be pricey in terms of access, accommodation and food so it is important for tour operators to provide special rates for locals, which can then trigger patronage.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has done well to encourage domestic tourism through its shanya/vakatsha promotion.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter