Page 13 - Meetings Zimbabwe 2nd Edition

Operators
Building new business
DMCs and other tourism operators are bullish about future business from both the MICE and leisure sectors, with an increased focus on marketing Zimbabwe overseas as a ‘hot’ destination in Southern Africa
For the travel industry in Zimbabwe, the viability of the destination is not in doubt, but the priority is to build awareness, firstly among overseas operators and media, in a
bid to grow demand.
As well as bringing in MICE organisers to the Sanganai trade
show in October last year – which itself was re-organised with a strong business-to-business emphasis – one key event was a UK familiarisation which saw 10 major operators, including TUI, spend 11 days touring the country after networking at the Harare event.
According to ZTA tourism officer for the UK, Felicia Munjaidi, the itinerary was designed to show off lesser-known areas of the country and, after Harare, included a cruise on Lake Kariba, Hwange and Bulawayo, plus Victoria Falls: “After seeing our hidden gems as well as meeting the trade at Sanganai, it gave these operators confidence to push the product ... but it was also a learning curve for us to discover what market requirements are, such as the need for a better website and technology to showcase Zimbabwe better,” she said.
Already, operators such as Gane & Marshall are tipping the country as ‘one to watch’, having relaunched packages to Zimbabwe with great expectations: “During the late 1990s, Zimbabwe was a favourite safari destination and I am delighted it is opening up and re-growing its tourism,” said co-founder Clare Gane.
“Apart from old favourites such as Lake Kariba and Mana Pools, on my wish list is Gonarezhou which is an immense wildlife area.”
Reigniting this loyalty to benefit both FIT and MICE equally
has prompted the establishment of Original Zimbabwe, a marketing initiative conceived by Wilderness Safaris and Africa Albida Tourism (AAT) that brings together their lodges and hotels together with small luxury independents including Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, The Hide, Meikles, Victoria Falls Hotel, Singita Pamushana and Camp Hwange.
Pooling resources, the group has presented both the Zimbabwe product and their own to the travel trade at World Travel Market, ITB, in South Africa and, in June, will head for North America to tap in to that market.
According to Gavin Rennie, director of sales & marketing at The Hide, the international trade has been very receptive while the benefit to each individual property is the opportunity to share costs and contacts: “Although we are competitive to a degree, working together sends a strong message and also demonstrates the quality of our products – each one is either new or has been renovated,” he said.
“For The Hide, working with Camp Hwange and Changa, which are both new, enables us to market Hwange as an alternative destination, as well as part of one of the new tourism circuits - while also promoting the price advantage of premium products in Zimbabwe.”
The overall effect is to complement the work of the tourism authority as Rennie acknowledges they have to be totally commercial.
“This is about cementing relationships, and with 80 attendees from the UK and Europe in London and more in Cape Town, we are definitely building momentum – and the US is the next big target” he said.
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