The Sunday News
Roberta Katunga Senior Business Reporter
THE Amalinda Collection has come up with special packages targeted at boosting domestic and regional tourism in the country as Zimbabwe continues to rise in international stature in the tourism industry. Tourism performance this year had been subdued compared to the prior year with tourist arrivals witnessing a 0,3 percent drop, a situation that tour operators said was due to the sensitive nature of the industry which saw it respond to global issues like the ebola scare in West Africa and terrorism in East Africa as well as the global financial crisis.
However, Amalinda Collection group sales and marketing manager Ms Lauren Mallet said the group which runs Camp Amalinda in Matopos, Khulu Ivory as well as Ivory Safari lodge in Hwange was running a special for locals and tourists within Southern African Development Community region as a way of promoting the sector in Zimbabwe.
“This is all about motivating our local and neighbouring markets to explore and travel within Zimbabwe. The special is valid until the end of September,” said Ms Mallet.
Speaking on the packages included in the special, Ms Mallet said at Camp Amalinda and Ivory Safari lodge, the special was quoted on a full board basis while at Khulu Ivory, the special was only on a fully inclusive basis with two activities per day.
She said the Amalinda collection was involved in marketing the country both regionally and internationally. “We invest a large portion of our marketing budget in relationship building with agents and tour operators as well as conducting destination training. This is conducted at regional and international trade shows such as Indaba,” Ms Mallet said.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority also runs an almost similar image building and perception management programme to counter the negative publicity which threatened the viability of the country’s tourism sector.
Ms Mallet said on the domestic tourism front, the group was appealing to the family market through the introduction of specials during school holidays. She said although 2015 has been a tough year for the country, it was important for the industry as well as its parent ministry to work together to create a positive image about Zimbabwe and ensure that everyone understands the beauty and diversity that the country has to offer. “In saying this, we are foreseeing an increase in demand for Zimbabwe as a destination for 2016 which is very positive. We also believe that with the new Victoria Falls airport opening, this will increase the bed nights around Zimbabwe and enable more tourists to fly directly into the country,” she said.
