adminLenox Lizwi Mhlanga
IT sounded like a crazy idea. Themba Ndlovu, an enterprising young man, unfortunately now late, had an incredible idea to launch a project he called Spankie Tours.
The year was 1997 and his plan was to set up and run an indigenous touring company.
What was unique was that he planned to hire “emergency taxis”, those battered Peugeot 404 station wagons, the mode of transport at the time, to ferry tourists to the townships of Bulawayo to “witness and experience the life of the ordinary people”.
He had an elaborate route that would take in the sights and sounds of Zimbabwe’s second-largest city’s colourful western suburbs.
There would be stopovers at specific homes and landmarks along the way where clients would sample the delights and everyday activities of township dwellers including famed shebeens.
Regrettably, Themba’s dream was stillborn and never saw the light of day.
The young man could not even convince the local authorities to buy into his innovative idea, let alone get the support of the banks and worse still, the government.
Fast forward almost two decades and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) are creating an opportunity for township tourism to get a new lease of life.
Shifting the expo to Zimbabwe’s second largest city must be a godsend for local operators including nascent township tourism providers.
The Sanganai-Hlanganani World Tourism Expo is being held in Bulawayo at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre from June 16 to 18, 2016.
The ZTA is expecting 180 exhibitors and 185 buyers from different markets in the region and the world.
The Ministry of Tourism and the ZTA launched the concept of township tourism amidst pomp and fanfare in October 2012 in Harare’s Highfield township with the view of promoting historical and cultural tourism in local communities through the marketing of significant landmarks.
In this case, Highfields being the home of the liberation struggle. Comparatively, Bulawayo is a gold mine for this form of tourism with the former townships of Makokoba, Pelandaba, Luveve, Tshabalala, Pumula and Mpopoma being cultural treasure troves.
We are not forgetting the newer suburbs of Nkulumane, Gwabalanda, Magwegwe North and West, among others.
Township tourism emerged in the ‘90s in the metropolitan cities of developing countries where tourists were encouraged to visit the disadvantaged areas of the cities and see how the local people lived.
They became popular in Brazil, India and South Africa where they are packaged as authentic, interactive and educational in nature.
Culture is the dominant attraction of township tourism.
It is easy to understand why the government took a keen interest in innovative tourism concepts.
Tourism is recognised as a key driver of the economy in Zimbabwe.
It has been targeted as strategic in the country’s drive for economic growth and development.
Zimbabwe, having gone through a dark period in its history culminating in the collapse of the local currency in 2008 and numerous travel warnings issued by major Western countries against it, has become critical to change negative perceptions about the country being an unsafe tourist destination.
The result has been an aggressive destination marketing regime spearheaded by Tourism minister Walter Mzembi, CEO at the ZTA, Karikoga Kaseke and his team.
However, there has been an acceptance that in order for the country to attract a fair share of tourists to its borders, there was a need for a paradigm shift in the way the Zimbabwean tourism product is packaged.
A study by Sarudzai Mutana and Alice Zinyemba in 2013 reveals that despite Zimbabwe’s heavy reliance on natural and heritage resources, a new breed of tourists now wanted to have a more intimate relationship with the communities in the countries they visited.
It’s no longer the thrill of seeing the Big Five, but rather “to meet real people, witness how they live and experience their current state of development and cultural heritage”, write Mutana and Zinyemba in their paper.
It is now accepted that mass tourism is no longer competitive since discerning “cultural” tourists have been known to be higher spenders, hence the need to repackage tourism products in order to cater for this new kind of tourist.
Culture-based tourism such as township tours are a better alternative to the traditional nature-based tourism because it has been found to be more sustainable, cannot be substituted and is participatory particularly for the communities being visited.
Western tourists are searching for unique experiences that are personalised and offer high quality service delivery and the bonus is that the local residents also benefit promoting sustainable development, say tourism officials.
Therefore, it is important that township tours be well organised and marketed.
Areas where visitors are directed to should be well selected in advance along with pre-arranged activities such as cultural performances and displays, short walks, tours of pre-selected homes, meals and refreshments at local taverns.
Opportunities for marketers range from playing an advisory in the formulation and implementation of a broader destination marketing strategy, to assisting small players in the township tourism matrix to package, brand and market their tourism products.
In this way, the frustration of the late Themba Ndlovu of Spankie Tours will not be repeated and entrepreneurs like him will relish operating a lucrative business providing support services for a potentially lucrative township tourism industry.
There is no need to reinvent the wheel in as far as township tourism is concerned.
The Soweto model gives the local entrepreneurs plenty of lessons on how to operate profitable and sustainable township tourism businesses.
And as Kaseke warned when the MOU was signed with the ZITF, that tourism players in Bulawayo should not kill the goose that lays the golden egg through over-charging.
This is a self-defeating trend that could discourage any future hosting of Sanganai-Hlanganani World Tourism Expo in the city.
Online Reporter