By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has intensified its drive to promote local tourism through encouraging citizens to travel and experience some of the products under the ZimBho campaign.
The ZimBho campaign is designed to focus mainly on the domestic market whose contribution to the economic growth and development is yet to be fully realized.
ZTA spokesperson Godfrey Chief Koti has been hosting radio programmes on all stations explaining the concept of Religious Tourism on Radio Zimbabwe.
In a programme with Richmond Sakuchera, Koti said religious tourism was one of the most important aspects of domestic tourism.
He said as pilgrims travel either for Easter or other religious events like Ramadan, they would be experiencing religious tourismwhereby they sample some of the domestic products.
“As you travel from Bulawayo you get into a restaurant that is tourism visit madzibaba at his shrine or going to Eagle mountains in Bindura or in Chigona Mountain in Mutoko for prayer that is travel with a purpose but also that is aiding domestic tourism because along the way you get to buy refreshments and when you book for a sleep over at some lodge or guest house that is religious tourism,” he said.
Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Nqobizitha Ndhlovu last year launched Domestic Tourism Campaign dubbed ZimBho #IzimYami #Vakatsha.
The campaign Brand, ZIMBHO, Hashtag vakatsha, Hashtag IZimYami is premised on the word Bho, which means good, well or fine. In the tourism context, we are saying Zimbabwe is beautiful and richly endowed Thus ZIM IS BHO.
In the past decades, the tourism industry has been characterized by low participation of locals in Leisure Tourism.
However, Minister Ndhlovu said domestic tourism was one area that need to be worked on to increase the capacity utilisation of existing facilities and expand our current product capacity in order to achieve our target of a 5-billion-dollar tourism economy by 2025.
One of the key pillars of this Recovery and Growth Strategy is the promotion of Domestic Tourism.
In the past, before the COVID-19 pandemic, destinations that were deemed successful the world over were supported heavily by their domestic market constituting more than 60% of business.
Whilst all destinations compete for International Tourism as it brings in new money into the economy (Forex), domestic tourism assists in inducing expenditure and circulating wealth in the economy. Furthermore, domestic tourists become destination ambassadors, assisting in promoting the destination and also encouraging international tourists who are usually keen to visit areas visited by locals.
Domestic tourism further expands the value chain and helps in building national pride at the same time promoting national understanding among locals.
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