Chronicle Editor
Pride Mahlangu, Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and tourism industry players have embarked on an aggressive campaign to promote local travel and tour packages.
The promotion drive places focus on this year’s Valentine’s Day, a time when people express love, affection and friendship. The period is celebrated in many ways worldwide and falls on the 14th of February each year.
The drive comes as domestic tourism is facing challenges including high prices. ZTA head of corporate affairs Mr Godfrey Koti said they had forged a partnership with tourism operators to create visibility around the domestic product.
“We know the importance of digital marketing and as the authority responsible for marketing the tourism industry, we have collaborated with various operators to further create visibility around the domestic tourism product,” he said.
“In the short term, our target is movement around public holidays and celebratory days of note such as the upcoming Valentine’s Day. Response from industry players has been resounding and they too have confirmed an increase in enquiries on their Valentine’s packages.
“Approximately 83 percent of travellers make their bookings online so you find that digital marketing becomes a priority for the entire sector. E-marketing is the way to go and we need to stay competitive with other destinations in terms of promotion of domestic tourism and ultimately from all over the world.”
Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) president, Mr Clive Chinwada, said there was a need for the sector to be aggressive in its domestic marketing approach.
He also spoke on the importance of exploiting digital platforms in promoting the destination to both the international and domestic market.
“As HAZ, we are alive to the importance of a solid digital footprint by Destination Zimbabwe as well the various tourism regions within the country,” said Mr Chinwada.
“We applaud the work being done by ZTA using a variety of platforms and would like to urge the authority to sustain and even become more aggressive. This is critical in ensuring that the Zimbabwean story goes out unadulterated.”
There has been a general outcry that the destination is expensive for locals. The domestic tourism promotion drive is to showcase both low- and high-end products with special emphasis on encouraging the industry to service the middle-income market.
Mr Mandla Mataure, an operator and managing director of Eastern Highlands’ Chimanimani Hotel expressed gratitude and optimism in the initiative.
“I think it’s a fantastic move. Many people within Zimbabwe know so much more about countries that are within the region and further abroad. But not many of them know how many beautiful places are within our borders in this country,” he said.
“So, the idea will be fantastic in terms of getting more people, more Zimbabweans to travel around the country and explore the various destinations that we have within our borders.
“It’s a very well-received initiative that is being initiated by the ZTA and we are looking forward to being able to host a lot more locals at our place of business.” — @pridesinstinctz
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