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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Tourism Authority are hoping the “Visit Zimbabwe’’ initiative will be able to yield endless possibilities the same way a deal between Arsenal and Rwanda boosted the economy of the landlocked Central African country.
The initiative, unveiled by President Mnangagwa on Tuesday, is expected to leverage on the popularity of cricket, which attracts millions of fans across the globe, to help make Zimbabwe a tourist destination of choice.
The partnership will see all cricket national teams wearing regalia branded “Visit Zimbabwe, A World of Wonders’’ on the left sleeve.
The deal is worth about US$870 000 and it includes advertising airtime and boundary board packages for a period of 36 months.
ZTA spokesperson, Godfrey Koti, said they were endless possibilities with sports, as an economic driver, following the devastating effects of coronavirus.
The organisation have also targeted partnerships with other popular sport codes like football.
“As ZTA, we have come to realise the important role that sport play, generally, in our day-to-day lives,’’ said Koti.
“It’s also worth mentioning that cricket and tourism are two of the most affected industries by Covid-19 and we realised that the only way to come back strong was through collaborations.
“Cricket has access to television coverage, wherever they go on international tours.
“It is the gateway to the international market, if we are to factor in the top 10 Test playing nations that are scattered far and wide.
“They also have potential tours to other non-Test playing nations where they can play ODIs and T20 cricket.
“As ZTA, we may not necessarily be able to reach all those countries but our cricket team gets there and they have to be appropriately branded to get the message through.”
Rwanda, a country with a difficult past, tried the same concept with English Premiership side, Arsenal, two years ago.
The deal was valued at US$36 million and the results have been encouraging.
The “Visit Rwanda’’ shirt sleeve sponsorship deal, as reported by SportsProMedia.com, resulted in benefits valued at US$44 million in just one year.
The Rwanda Development Board said there were 1.7m tourists visiting Rwanda in 2018 because of brand exposure.
There were 4.3m interactions, over social media and other activations for content created, 100 percent increase in subscribers for Visit Rwanda’s YouTube channel, 72 percent boost in Twitter followers, 577 percent boost in Instagram followers and five percent increase in UK tourists in 2018.
ZTA are now targeting other sport codes, such as football and rugby, as a way of promoting both domestic and international sports tourism.
“We want to make it a point that sport is recognised as a big driver of economic recovery.
“Our partnership with cricket is just the beginning. We are interested in roping in as many sport codes as possible.
“We are also keen on pushing domestic tourism.
“So, we are saying, why should PSL suffer when ZTA is there?
“We are not promising to dole out money, but we are saying we can play a facilitator role in negotiating with service providers at good and discounted rates, to lessen the costs when they go out there for their games.
“Clubs should also be able to tour areas of interest. Let’s say they visit Hwange for a league game, there should also be favourable packages that allow them to visit the national park and enjoy Zimbabwe’s wildlife,” he said.
ZC chairman, Tavengwa Mukuhlani, said the “Visit Zimbabwe’’ campaign was a perfect opportunity for the country to activate a winning sport-tourism combination.
“I am sure all of us are particularly aware of the major cross-over between sport and tourism, as well as the economic and diplomatic opportunities, that sport can bring.
“We believe, of all sporting disciplines in our country, Zimbabwe Cricket has the broadest and widest international reach.
“There is no one better placed to tell our story to the world than ourselves.
“We are the principal agents of change for our nation and the success and failure of our nation is situated nowhere other than in our own hands.”
Online Reporter