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Sugar Chagonda

Oliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and South African Airways have struck a joint marketing agreement aimed at promoting the growth and development of tourism for both countries.
ZTA public relations and corporate communications head Sugar Chagonda said tourism was increasingly becoming more and more competitive with strategic alliances becoming a viable tool for tourism destinations.

“This is the route ZTA has recently been pursuing as it foresees strong marketing opportunities in source markets, particularly the European market that ultimately can earn dividends for the destination,” he told Business Chronicle.

“In pursuance of this strategy, South African Airways are supporting ZTA in a joint marketing agreement including support to stage the 3rd edition of the Zimbabwe International Tourism Exchange (ZITE) being hosted in London that began on Tuesday and ends today.”

ZITE is a business to business exchange staged with the aim of facilitating networking platforms that will further Zimbabwe’s visibility and unlock business opportunities within the United Kingdom market.

Supported by local tourism experts such as African Sun, Wilderness Safaris, Coordinating Zimbabwe, Africa Albida Tourism, Vayeni, and The Hide, the tourism exchange event was poised to attract leading top United Kingdom tourism operators.

Chagonda said the marketing agreement follows a strong vision by South African Airways to grow its sub-Saharan network through quality service delivery, efficiency and product benefits such as the generous baggage allowance afforded to passengers travelling to Zimbabwe.

He said the South African Airways head of marketing for United Kingdom and Ireland, Jon Danks expressed optimism that their partnership would contribute to their accessibility to Zimbabwe as a tourism destination and Southern Africa at large.

This was in light of South African Airways’ network of services to Victoria Falls, Harare and Bulawayo.
This year’s ZITE has attracted tourism players from regional destinations, a development expected to go a long way in fostering multi-destination packages that will be buoyed by the introduction of the uni-visa.

ZTA chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke said the business exchange was being held at a time when UK operators were scouting for new destinations to include in their brochures for next year.

“Europe (UK and Ireland in particular) continues to be our lucrative and high yield market as has been over the years as such the authority keeps intensifying marketing initiatives to consolidate the gains.

“We are grateful for the SAA partnership especially as it relates to destination accessibility. Collective efforts such as these are not only essential for Zimbabwe but regional tourism growth in particular,” said Kaseke.

The 2014 preliminary report on tourist arrival statistics indicates that Zimbabwe registered a one percent increase in arrivals this year to 867,163 compared to 860,995 during the same period in 2013.

The growth was supported by the increase in Europe arrivals, Germany and UK in particular with 35 percent (6,618 to 10,241) and nine percent (19,007 to 20,812) respectively.