German travel agents visit to understand Zimbabwe better

Text by Martin Chemhere

Forty German travel agents specializing in outbound tours to Southern and East Africa recently concluded a familiarisation tour of Zimbabwe. They were members of ASA, a leading German association promoting tourism to Africa. The European country is among the most valuable source markets for Zimbabwean tourism and the agents were in the country from 30 May to 7 June 2023.

The travel agents visited Hwange National Park (where they stayed for 2 nights at Nantwich Camp), Matobo National Park (2 nights at Amalinda Lodge), Hwange National Park (1 night at Sable Valley Lodge), and Victoria Falls (2 nights at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge) in that order. They were also hosted by the secretariat of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (Kaza TFCA), a concept promoting “tourism without borders” within the shared boundaries of Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola.

A media statement from Kavangozambezi.org said that the Kaza region tour dubbed “ASA goes KAZA” was facilitated by Kaza TFCA Secretariat together with four of the five partner states, the Republics of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The private sector association servicing German-speaking markets partnered with the Kaza Secretariat and tourism boards of the four participating partner states. They aimed to provide German, Austrian, and Swiss outbound travel agents and tour operators with first-hand exposure to tourism destinations and offers in the Kaza region.

Familiarization tour participants experienced several iconic nature, wildlife, and cultural heritage destinations and offerings at Kaza. At the end of the tour, participants gathered in the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, for a large central event featuring the region’s main tourism stakeholders.

Speaking at the “ASA goes Kaza” convergence event on Monday, June 6, ASA President Guido Bürger said that “travel agents often sell destinations they have never visited. This initiative offers tour operators and travel agents an opportunity to experience these destinations first-hand,” he said. Dr. Nyambe Nyambe, Executive Director of the Kaza Secretariat, welcomed and lauded ASA for coming to Kaza. In his welcome speech, he remarked that ‘ASA Goes Kaza” presented an opportunity to showcase Kaza’s spectacular tourism assets and potential. Dr. Nyambe also took the opportunity to appreciate the different stakeholders driving tourism development in Kaza.

He stressed the need to continue strengthening collective action in tourism development and marketing, more so considering the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector.

“The convergence event was attended by over 70 stakeholders from the tourism industry including, the Kaza Secretariat, national tourism organizations of the four partner states, tour operators and travel agents (European and regional) as well as accommodation and activity service providers.

It featured presentations from ASA, the Kaza Secretariat, participating tourism boards, and the event’s airline partner – Eurowings Discover,” said a media statement on Kavangozambezi.org.

The event also comprised speed marketing, offering the destination marketing organizations and tourism businesses an opportunity to profile their offers to the familiarisation tour participants. Resultantly, participating operators and agents learned about the conservation and tourism development goals and objectives of Kaza, as well as exchanged ideas on opportunities to repackage or even expand their current offers to the region.

“This familiarisation tour and convergence event gave me a fresh perspective on what travel and tourism can be. The wonderful “gems” in Kaza and the values that the region stands for challenged me to see tourism as more than an adventure but also an opportunity to experience and contribute towards conservation. This is a theme we are confident will appeal to our eco-conscious and adventureseeking clients” said one of the German tour operators.

The “ASA Goes Kaza” initiative was partly supported by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW Development Bank and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

The German travel agents have been to Zimbabwe before, attending the 2019 Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo and also during the same time toured Nyangombe Falls in the Eastern Highlands.

This time the agents went back home with a better understanding and experience of the nature and extent of wildlife and cultural offerings that Zimbabwe and the Kaza-TFCA offers.