Tourism: heaven or hell!
Published On March 26, 2014 » 2025 Views» By Administrator Times » Business, Columns
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The EnterpreneurI SAT in the Great Rift Mining Seminar last week and I heard our Honourable vice-chairperson make an opening speech, among which he chastised the mining houses for taking money out of the country and in the same vain he stated that his government were making huge steps to bring Zambia to the ears and eyes of the overseas tourist.
Not wanting to get on the wrong side of the Government, but I must question this latter comment.
To my knowledge there is not, and has never been, any meaningful campaign to promote our beautiful country to the overseas public.
I sat in my car yesterday and listened to a local radio station Rock FM. Yes I am not that old !!!
They were in Ireland and were asking the public in the street, Do you know about Zambia, were is it? It was totally embarrassing, not one person knew more than it was somewhere in Africa.
I mentioned before in one of my articles, I was contracted by the Indian Government to create an awareness of Kashmir.
While undertaking a good old fashioned SWOT analysis, I interviewed a 2,000 strong cross-section of the public in London, Birmingham and Europe.
As well as my questions about northern India, I asked five questions about Zambia
•Where is Zambia?
•If you want to see the Victoria falls where would you go?
•If you want to go on holiday would you think of Zambia?
•If you want to see wildlife were would you go?
•What is your first requirement for a holiday overseas?
The results were astounding, more so when you think that we have had a ministry devoted to pushing Zambia into the general public’s domain.
Where is Zambia?
Seventy-two per cent in Africa somewhere, 21 per cent don’t know, five per cent in central Africa, only two per cent knew where it was.
The Victoria Falls – 96 per cent would go to Zimbabwe.
Holiday in Zambia – 98.5 per cent said no, why should we.
Wildlife – 96 per cent said other places such as Kenya, Tanzania, only four per cent mentioned Zambia.
First requirement – 82 per cent mentioned safety as their first concern.
I would love to have the minister of Tourism respond to these facts, even more so after the Vice-President Guy Scott’s remarks.
Tourism could be the second largest employer, it could, if we got it right, create thousands of jobs throughout Zambia.
Just think of it, Zambia has the greatest weather, not too hot, never too cold.
It has the victoria falls, with fantastic, if not very expensive hotels.
It is a perfect holiday venue, it offers the rural Africa life, the big city, the wild animals and the fantastic bush landscape.
It has a wide range of accommodation and it is easy to get about. The roads are reasonable, the people friendly.
It has an abundance of wildlife, as much as neighbouring countries.
But more than most, it is safe. The visiting tourist will not be shot or kidnapped, they will not be mugged, they can go to an ATM without fear, they can walk the streets at night. We are unique in this in Africa. We are the safe heart of Africa.
Why oh why has are illustrious tourist department used this as the selling point for our country.
More than 80 per cent of overseas tourists and potential tourists for Zambia look at their safety first.
In business terms, Safety is the USP, the unique selling point of Zambia.
But no, there is no where were this is sold to the overseas tourist.
If we had tourists coming here, we would have more people buying food and gifts, we would have more people visiting our restaurants and lodges, we would have increased business for our transport system, more business for our taxis.
Increased domestic demand is equal to an increase in facilities which is directly proportionate to an increase in employment.
However, before we can ever hope to attract tourists, we have to get our own store in order first. Zambia is a business, it has a product, a price, it uses Promotion and it has a perception.
But is realism, we are not using the product to its full value, we are like a shop that sells great toys but keeps them all hidden away in a cupboard. We have everything the customer wants but we don’t offer them for sale.
More importantly, like a business, you cannot sell Zambia, you have to create an environment of desire that entices the tourist to come.
We need to look at facilities that entice the tourist, that makes the whole experience of visiting Zambia a happy and pleasant experience.
We need tourist information booths, we need tourist busses, taking the tourist to our wild life parks and other venues.
We need tourist police, information pamphlets in hotels,  in every hotel in the world, you have a board that displays all the tourist attractions within the particular town, but not in Zambia.
We have no tourist signs, no scheduled busses to take tourists to the attractions, we have infact no assistance at all that could even be considered an tool to make the tourist experience a good thing.
As regards price, no one has looked at this, we are inexpensive in some areas and very expensive in others.
The tourist gets ripped of, Only last night, my wife traveled from the Copper belt by bus.
I met her at the bus station in Lusaka and what an experience. We were mobbed by crowds of youths all fighting to carry her bags, then they insisted that the fee to carry one suitcase 15 yards to my car was K50.00.
Then I left the bus station, only to be stopped at the gate and told that I have to pay K30 for luggage.
Needless to say I did not pay and the chair that was blocking the road is now a flat chair. But is this the experience that we want to give our tourists.
Again please let’s clean up our act, stop having committees and meetings and look at your country and make things change for the best.
On promotion, do we have any? I see big signs on our roads but why are we spending money advertising Zambia.
Promotion of your product is getting it out in front of customers, not your own staff.  It is a total waste of money and is beyond belief. This money should have been spent bettering the facilities for the tourist.
On perception, let’s face it, we, Zambians, do not have any perception from the outside world, most of the population do not know where we are, what we offer or why they should choose Zambia as a holiday destination.
But we, and more so the youth of Zambia need jobs, they need to have the tourist sector working well, they need to have many more people visiting our country and spending their money here.
Tourism is the answer to the whole problem, we cannot relay on the mining sector, they are in a slump and dangerously close to being unproductive.
We must use the facility that Zambia has and use it well, that being its attractions, its weather, its safe environment and its appeal.
Zambia is a business. You cannot argue that fact, to sell Zambia to an investor or a tourist needs the same business skills and knowledge.
We have a tremendous product, let’s sell it and create thousands of jobs for our youth.
Comments: 0965222208
(The author is chief executive of  Blakemore Morris Limited)

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