The declaration by 43,2 percent of tourists interviewed during a Visitor Exit survey covering a 12-month period between December 2015 and November 2016 that they will not visit Zimbabwe again should jolt everyone in the hospitality industry and all sectors that interact with tourists. The bold statement from tourists is that there is something wrong in the way we handle our visitors.
Government has identified tourism as one of the key sectors that should significantly contribute to the economic turnaround given its huge potential. It is therefore disturbing to learn that many of our visitors have vowed never to visit the country again yet tourism growth is hinged on repeat visits.
The big challenge therefore is to find out where we are getting it wrong as a country. What is not in dispute is that Zimbabwe is endowed with world class tourist attractions and destinations hence the many visitors coming from across the globe.
What we are probably failing is to handle them well so that we are guaranteed repeat visits. Zimbabweans in general are known for their hospitality so it cannot be the ordinary citizens who are frustrating visitors. What has come out clear in the past is that tourists are frustrated by too many police roadblocks which they view as harassment.
We have heard ridiculous reports of tourists coming from game viewing being fined for driving dirty vehicles at police roadblocks. When tourists do their holiday budgets, they do not budget for spot fines that are demanded by our police officers. It is against this background that we totally agree with acting President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa that the Ministries of Home Affairs and Tourism and Hospitality Industry should engage and address the issue of roadblocks which seem to be frustrating tourists. Cde Mnangagwa said it was important to strike a balance between public safety and the convenience of tourists.
He said the two ministries should determine how the need for safety and movement of tourists can be guaranteed. Cde Mnangagwa who was speaking at the launch of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development in Harare on Tuesday, said Government was committed to the free movement of tourists and the need to ensure their safety.
Zimbabwe should be a destination of choice for tourists around the globe given its world class tourist attractions such as the Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe Monuments and other such attractions as well as its rich flora and fauna. After marketing Brand Zimbabwe and attracting tourists to the country, we should be able to take care of them so that they come back.
These tourists should in fact be our brand ambassadors and this is only possible if they enjoy their stay in the country. It should start at the borders with our officials who do the paperwork as the first impression is very crucial in building a perception.
Our police officers on their part should expend their energies on ensuring the safety of tourists as opposed to harassing them at police roadblocks. There are unscrupulous elements within the police force who are after fleecing tourists thereby tarnishing the image of the force. It is these bad apples that should not be allowed to man roadblocks especially in tourist destinations.
The challenge to the police is to work on improving their public relations especially when dealing with visitors who might be ignorant of some of our laws governing their movement and general conduct. The tourism industry can only be sustainable if we have repeat visits hence the need to urgently address this negative perception of our police officers who are viewed by tourists as individuals after fleecing them.
Authorities within the police force should therefore weed out these undesirable elements that are threatening our tourism industry which, as already alluded to, is one of our key sectors that should drive the economic turnaround. The police presence should not frustrate or threaten tourists but should instead guarantee them safety.