Zimbabwe’s tourism trends experiencing rapid change

Travel and tourism trends in Zimbabwe are changing rapidly as indicated by We Are Victoria Falls (WAVF) in their ‘Future Traveller Sentiment Report’ January 2023. Developments are based on the resumption of visitor numbers post-COVID, increased business travel, alongside diversified offerings and new types of travellers.

The report notes that the tourism sector in Zimbabwe is evolving hinged on the categories of accommodation, tourist demography and modes of transportation.

WAVF observes that the country is moving away from the reliance on traditional hotels, with trends swinging towards modern developed resorts that offer a broader variety of accommodation options and activities.

Travel demographics are also changing. Hotels and other accommodation options previously hosted older clientele mainly for safari trips or game-viewing excursions.

“However, with an increase in investment and business travel, younger professionals are increasingly frequenting these establishments,” the report reads. The world has opened up in the aftermath of the COVID- 19 induced travel restrictions. Major tourism hubs are experiencing a resumption and increase in Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) travel. Exhibitions and conferences such as the recent Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) and events such as the Victoria Falls Carnival are back on track and attracting a blend of travellers.

The WAVF document says that this presents an opportunity to develop regional travel as many of these MICE travellers come from the Southern African region.

Investment in infrastructure, partly derived from the abundance of highvalue minerals and exploration in Zimbabwe, is considered to be ramping up access to seemingly non-traditional destinations.“Along with the diversification driven by mineral investment and prospecting, investment into infrastructure is improving access to a wider variety of destinations within Zimbabwe such as the Eastern Highlands and Great Zimbabwe monuments,” reveals the report.

The commentary adds that “with growing interest and investment in mineral wealth such as gold, platinum, chrome, and diamonds, investors are travelling around Zimbabwe, diversifying the geographic scope of business travel.”

In essence, this presents opportunities to advance tourism assets and products in areas in proximity to mineral deposits.

Another key feature of the Future Traveller Sentiment Report is that it highlights the opportunities that are set to drive the development of tourism in the future.

The WAVF report makes a call for innovative transport services noting that travellers in Zimbabwe have historically relied primarily on selfdriving or direct flights. WAVF indicate that “bespoke internal transport services for tourists such as luxury coach routes could improve access and diversify geographic distribution of tourists within Zimbabwe.” Public transport is usually not considered desirable for tourists.

Collaborative Marketing is another aspect that the tourism sector can take advantage of. The document points out that hotels and tour operators have previously only driven their brands. The report suggests a formalised collaborative marketing platform supported by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA).

Regarding internal air connectivity, operators feel it could still be improved and would have a considerable impact on the geographic diversification of tourism within Zimbabwe. In March this year, Permanent Secretary of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Engineer Theodius Chinyanga pointed out that the Air Services Development Programme was constructed “to determine the air service development potential of Zimbabwe to attract and increase routes, carriers, capacity and frequency into the country.”

Another observation is that visitors to the country increasingly want to be around local people and experience how they live. This is labelled as ‘Voluntourism’ and ‘Community Tourism’. Packaging and promoting experiences that engage communities would be popular, especially among the budding youth segment, chiefly for those on student exchange programmes and volunteer projects. WAVF says ecotourism is also becoming popular and should be prioritised in marketing and promotional efforts.

Tourist Profiles

In a previous report released in October 2022 titled ‘Tourism Recovery and Resilience: Victoria Falls Data Tracking Key Findings 2019-2021’, WAVF profiles non-traditional traveller types accessing Zimbabwe’s tourism destinations as described below. Regional Explorers and Short Breakers: Regional residents are travelling more frequently by air from urban centres in the region and from Harare.

They range from couples to multigenerational families and friends groups motivated by local events, special occasions (birthdays, weddings, anniversaries) or public holiday travel (long weekends). The size of the average group is four to six people.

Long-haul, self-drive Explorer:

These are mainly European travellers between the ages of 25-60 travelling on pre-booked itineraries with rental cars. They visit multiple attractions around the country or region by road. They are couples or families with children visiting the main highlights around environmental, cultural and historical attractions, including all the major sites but with an ‘individual’ approach.

Regional Self-drive Explorer:

These are regional residents travelling by road with their vehicles on multiday journeys through the region. These are often multi-families groups with kids or on public/school holiday travel (long weekend) excursions. The average size of the group is six to eight people. Cost-effective accommodation choices range from camping to more luxurious Airbnb properties. Food and beverage choices are important as are familyfriendly activities.

Global Nomad/ New Generation Back Packers:

The Millennial or Generation Z demographic comprises international and regional travellers as well as expatriates, some with young children. This profile travels as singles, couples or family units. They are interested in culture, art and food, novelty, authenticity and ‘experience’.

They usually gravitate to urban centres. They value thoughtful curation of their experience, designed interaction with local people, stay in less corporate accommodations (hotels, apartments or guesthouses) and can be mixed with high spenders. They may combine trips with work or work remotely (bleisure).

MICE: Travellers for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events.

SAVE (Scientific, Academic, Volunteer and Education):

SAVE travellers typically come from European and North American markets, with some regional representation. They are driven by the desire to engage in travel experiences involving close interaction with the environment, culture and people that expand their knowledge and understanding of different people and places. They spend long periods in a destination (three weeks to six months) and are typically frugal spenders, relatively independent and likely to ‘get off the beaten track.’

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) projects a return to 2019 tourism levels in some destinations by the year 2024. Unfortunately, inflation which has increased the cost of living globally and eroded household budgets remains the major threat to recovery. The war in Ukraine and mounting geopolitical tensions in different parts of the world are also adding to the uncertainty in the world economy and global tourism. In Zimbabwe, the current tourism trend is showing strong signs of recovery and is expected to continue consolidating robust performance by year-end for both domestic and inbound tourism.