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Leonard Ncube in Vic Falls

ZIMBABWE’s hospitality continues to charm international tourists and this places the country among the top global tourism destinations.

This was said by 36 Land Rover-Discovery Experience tourists, who included international journalists, that visited the country on a five-day tour last week. The crew also sampled various tourism activities in Victoria Falls and Hwange National Park.

It comprised 12 journalists who are working on tourism documentaries, all driving in 16 Land Rover Discovery and two Defender vehicles. The group entered the country last Thursday via Kazungula Border post and were scheduled to leave on Monday via Pandamatenga in Hwange National Park. They were drawn from Spain, Switzerland, Austrian, Germany and Britain. 

German tourism and advertising executive based in Namibia, Mr Dag Rogge, initiated the programme that saw more than 30 000 Europeans applying for consideration to tour the Kavango-Zambezi (Kaza) Transfrontier Conservation Area.

Only 36 made it for the first edition of the programme, which is set to be a continuous event. Participants who spoke to Business Chronicle expressed joy to be in Zimbabwe and commended the hospitality of its citizens. Some promised to be Zimbabwe’s brand ambassadors back in the European Union. Mr Rogge said he will soon bring another group to Zimbabwe.

“We started on November 1 in Namibia and we will finish on 16 November after covering 2 500km. I have been operating in Botswana and Namibia using Discovery vehicles in Windhoek and now expanding to Zambia and Zimbabwe. We brought all the stuff we would need for the trip,” he said. 

My heart fell for Africa since the time I started working in Namibia and Botswana and we feel we can expand to Zimbabwe. We are coming back for a tour and the idea is to bring Europeans for a 10-day driving programme in Zimbabwe.”

Mr Rogge said his desire was to help Zimbabwe market its tourism.

“Zimbabwe, just like the whole of Southern Africa has many new things to offer. We want to help the country market itself. From here we will definitely tell people that they can come to Zimbabwe or Zambia,” he said.

In Victoria Falls the team sampled a number of activities including bungee jumping and tour of the Rainforest among others. 

They left Victoria Falls Sunday morning for Hwange National Park for a game drive and experience of the game park.

The crew is set to travel back to Namibia where members will fly back to their respective countries while the cars will be stripped, cleaned and checked before another group comes. Ms Hannah Yambertz, a consultant from Germany, said Zimbabwe’s hospitality was unique.

“This is my first time in Africa and the people are completely different. They are more open and definitely I would want to come back. I fell in love with the people, culture and animals which we see only on television in Europe,” she said.

An energy expert Mr Stefan Zink said the tour gave them a rare experience. 

“This trip was exciting for us. We had to apply to be here but seeing a lot of animals, nice landscapes and beautiful people and experience on the country roads is exciting. The wonderful thing in this region are the people, they are very nice and we have been taking pictures as we drove around,” he said.

An agent from Land Rover in South Africa Mr Christo van Loggerberg, who joined the team in Victoria Falls, said the experience was a marketing opportunity for Sadc. — @ncubeleon