Over the years our country has been staggering to reach global markets to consume our tourism products. Tourism is a part component of country Branding as it is a key influencer in closing sales for the other components in any Nation Brand Model.
What makes the world tick to travel or view a country is what my friends at the President’s Office,Tourism Business Council, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, and The Ministry of Tourism must be looking at now.
The ideal tourism model for brand making and brand promotion for Zimbabwe is not a text book formula but must be something that is tailor made to suite the conditions of the country. Where we currently are, we do not deserve it, as we can do more, We can go for conferences, roadshows and events in other countries but as long as we are not bringing the world to Zimbabwe in numbers and not having global viewership of Zimbabwe, we are simply just taking holidays to other destinations.
One thing I like about sales is that no matter how terrible a product or service can be, there is always a buyer. We always have buyers for our existing tourism products within our nation brand because the world has billions of people and so there is always a chap from Australia, or a couple from Sweden or a group from China ready to indulge into what we have no matter what.
But then, again we cannot allow ourselves to be content with what we have because it’s the same products since the Rhodesians handed over the country to us. We must now start being creatively innovative and create more tourism products, that are authentic, appealingly irresistible and cater for different markets on the world map.
Everyone on the global market has something that they would at least travel for, and that is the starting point that we must look at. Our methods of communication to the world to travel to Zimbabwe require upgrades.
The solution for tourism brand making and brand promotion is in international events and television broadcast, not to rent others but to create ours. Innovation is key for our tourism brand to become a favourable destination, as it encompasses not just hotels, food and sightseeing, If in a year we host, an international conference, a global sporting event, a world competition of any genre, a global T.V series and an international festival, of which all of these bring the following
- Visitors in the thousands
- Global followership and viewership
- Foreign currency spending on destination
- Markets to experience Zimbabwe physically and visually
- More usage of existing tourism products.
The above gives Gross Value Addition of the tourism sector as a whole, as traffic increases, visibility is heightened, image is painted better, brand equity scores new points, locals get more jobs, tourism income goes up, brand experience is digitalized and the market’s subconscious mind is programmed to love and admire Zimbabwe.
Looking at budgets and human capital capacity of the country, surely we have enough of that and private sector players to come together to be part of the Tourism Brand Making and Brand Promotion Drive. My proposed model will also give the pressure push for better standards in existing tourism products, customer care , cleaner cities, better services and of course infrastructure and technological development to suite world standards for a sustainable Country Brand Zimbabwe.
Tare Munzara is a country branding expert, and is also the chief executive officer at Destination Marketing International. Do not miss the next edition of the column next week.
