Harare – SADC tourism stakeholders have resolved to come up with an intra-regional tourism package that will make tourism in Southern Africa stand out from its competitors ahead of the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
The resolutions were made at a recent 2010 World Cup tourism workshop in Harare.
Representatives from the Southern African tourism boards urged stakeholders to be realistic in their preparations for the 2010 soccer showcase and come up with strategies on how it is going to present itself to the rest of the world before, during and after the 2010 soccer world cup.
Zimbabwe, one of the Sadc member states whose tourism boards proposed and agreed to be part of the Sadc Intra-Regional Tourism Packaging, believes this move will not benefit South Africa alone but the whole region and the African continent.
The Sadc region has abundant tourism facilities to cater for multitudes of fans that will throng Africa in 2010. This initiative was long overdue according to some key tourism stakeholders who attended the 2010 World Cup Tourism Workshop held in Harare recently.
The 2010 Fifa World Cup, the first on African soil is going to be a momentous event for Africa and one that will leave a lasting legacy beyond 2010.
Intra-regional tourism packaging is the joint marketing campaigns by tourism authorities in a region to promote a product — and in this case — Sadc tourism authorities will embark on a joint marketing strategy to come up with one package for the whole of Southern Africa.
This drive will see more integration of Sadc tourism, trade and economic development plans via regional and sub-regional co-operation, giving major impetus to regional travel and tourism. It indeed augurs well for Sadc’s future tourism and economic growth.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Zambia Tourism Board and the Limpopo Tourism Board all agreed that they would work together in marketing the region before, during and after the world cup in 2010.
Travel, transportation, communication and world acclaimed tourist destinations such as the Majestic Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Indigo Bay in Mozambique and Robin Island in South Africa figured highly on the list of destinations to visit in the Southern Africa tourism package for the world cup in 2010.
Building of infrastructure and telecommunication links within the region and allowing the free movements of people within the region (the relaxation of visa requirements) need to be put in place for the growth of travel. Moreso, business travel which, in most cases is usually followed by leisure travel.
Zambia Tourism Board is of the belief that people who are going to come for the world cup are a different clientele from our usual tourists so the region needs to come up with new products to attract this new clientele coming in 2010.
Southern Africa has identified many areas for the development of transfrontier parks for free movement of animals into other countries and creating an (all in one) mega national park like the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park comprising Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique.
Three countries agreed that the Sub-Saharan region has not been highly exposed and exploited so this was the chance to be on the map and make natural links within the region, for example, having Victoria Falls on every tourism package in each of the countries in the region.
There is a low-level awareness of what the region offers in terms of tourism hence the need for intra-regional links in cultural, arts and other products that attract visitors. Limpopo Tourism Board said the region lacks unified tourism routes and linkages of major attractions and that packages only promote and market products as individual destinations.
A rigid cross-border travel formality is another issue South Africa is working on to allow free movement of both regional and international tourists. Indeed, working through regional and sub-regional groupings is more convenient and efficient.
People from many neighbouring countries speak common languages, share common cultures and traditions. They have their differences, but can usually work them out, barring major international disputes.
The Pacific Asia economic development bloc has been one of the leading regions in promoting travel and tourism, and has set a precedent as one of the leading tourism growing regions in the world in the past 10 years. Tourism is one of the most important sectors in a large number of Asia Pacific countries.
Increases in economic growth, disposable income and leisure time, and aggressive tourism campaigns — among other factors — have fueled the significant growth of tourism.
Source: www.allafrica.com
