Chinese tour operators head for Zimbabwe

THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) said on Monday that a team of Chinese tour operators will be visiting Zimbabwe early next month, as part of the authority destination awareness programmes.
The destination awareness programmes give tour operators from different parts of the world an opportunity to sample the country’s attractions.
They are then expected to recommend the destination to potential tourists.
ZTA said the 17-member group would arrive in Zimbabwe from March 5, 2016 to March 9, and will visit attractions that include Victoria Falls, one of the world’s best attractions.
The authority said Chinese tour operators began the first leg of the tour by visiting South Africa.
Next month’s tour will come after the Chinese market recommended last year that it was critical for Zimbabwe to carry out destination awareness programmes to improve its visibility.
“The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority in conjunction with the South African Tourism (SAT) and the Ethiopian Airlines are jointly hosting a 17 member delegation of Chinese tour operators on an educational tour of Zimbabwe from 5-9 March 2016,” said the ZTA.
“The educational tour is aimed at showcasing Zimbabwe’s tourism products and increasing destination awareness as per recommendations by Chinese tour operators at last year’s edition of the China International Travel Mart. The Chinese delegation is scheduled to tour Victoria Falls and surrounding tourist facilities so as to market destination Zimbabwe from an informed viewpoint,” the ZTA statement said.
“During the last edition of the CITM travel show, it was deemed necessary to take a regional approach in courting this market as Chinese tourists prefer to visit more than one country on long haul trips hence, the joint marketing initiative with South Africa. As a sector these are some of the strategic joint marketing efforts we are in investing in with various partners and stakeholders in order to further increase our brand visibility across all source markets”, said ZTA chief executive officer, Karikoga Kaseke.-Fingaz