Govt directs tourism to ramp up marketing campaigns

GOVERNMENT has called upon the tourism sector to scale up destination marketing campaigns and implement strategies that entice domestic travel as well as lure global clientele.

As the country intensifies efforts to regain tourism confidence on the back of the devastating Covid-19 impact on the sector, there is a need to employ aggressive marketing interventions, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Mr Munesu Munodawafa, said on Tuesday.

In a speech read on his behalf by the ministry’s chief director, Dr Douglas Runyowa, during the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) Strategic Planning Workshop in Bulawayo, Mr Munodawafa stressed the need to upscale implementation of strategies that make the campaigns more visible and more relevant.

“Whilst we have done well to host the ‘Meet in Zimbabwe’ campaign during the most recent Sanganai\Hlanganani, we need to upscale the implementation of strategies that will make our three campaigns of ZIMBHO, visit Zimbabwe and meet in Zimbabwe visible and more relevant,” he said.

“Under the ZimBho Campaign we need to cultivate total buy-in from the private sector so that they come up with tailor made packages under this campaign.”

Under the ZimBho campaign, the Government has removed value added tax (VAT) on all local tourists to enable the industry to reduce prices. ZimBho, means Zimbabwe is good or Zimbabwe is nice so visit any part of the country.

Mr Munodawafa expressed concern that some of the tourism products remain largely unknown hence creation of awareness through campaigns will help to market the products.

“I wish to emphasise the need to create more, and exciting promotional videos and content designed at raising awareness of the unique tourism products in each of our tourism products, some of which remain largely unknown,” he stated.

“The partnership with both the private and public media is necessary because as the Government and ZTA we cannot continue to run our campaigns in silos, where matters of collective national interest have to be projected.”

Mr Munodawafa said the prevailing economic stability in Zimbabwe and the successful Covid-19 vaccination programme, should inspire the tourism sector to worker harder to restore business.

“We need to plan for a number of road shows, including virtual webinars to amplify our call for the world to visit Zimbabwe,” he said.

“We need also to take advantage of the significantly improved economic stability in Zimbabwe and plan an aggressive visit friends and relatives (VFR) campaign targeting Zimbabweans and friends of Zimbabweans in the diaspora.

“In this regard let us take advantage of the successful Covid-19 vaccination and earn the country its much needed successful vaccination dividend.”

The tourism sector was hit hardest by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw arrivals in 2020 falling to 639 356 tourists, a 72 percent decline compared to 2019.

Tourism is Zimbabwe’s third largest sector in terms of foreign currency earnings after mining and agriculture and has the potential to play a significant role in Zimbabwe’s economic recovery. — The Chronicle