Zimbabwe Records Rise in Chinese Tourists, but Challenges Remain

Tourist arrivals from China to Zimbabwe have risen considerably, however the southern African country remains largely unknown in China because of absence of market presence, tourism experts said.

Release time : 2018-10-11 10:51:20

source : ECNS

world's-second largest economy, China has, over the years, become one of the most lucrative tourism markets in the world.

In 2016, Chinese tourists spent $261.1 billion globally in outbound tourism expenditure. For Zimbabwe, the Chinese market is an important sector too. According to ZTA, Chinese visitors spend on average $1,544 per person per trip in Zimbabwe according to the Visitor Exit Survey (VES) showing how valuable the market is for the country.

Typically, 68 percent of the Chinese international outbound trips have been holiday trips, 25 percent business trips while 7 percent have been visits to friends or relatives and other trips. In Zimbabwe, the trend is almost the same with most Chinese visitors about 48 percent coming mainly on holiday while about 32 percet for business, the ZTA said.

Over the years, ZTA has employed numerous initiatives to entice Chinese tourists to the country such as the approved destination status, plying a tourism office in Beijing, direct flights to Beijing, travel shows and roadshows in China, and participation at investments forums in China.

Other strategies have included cultural exchange and training programs, joint marketing programmes with Chinese companies, destination promotion, celebrity hosting and publicity films. Sadly, most of the initiatives are no longer functioning owing to lack of funds and support from central government.

The ZTA identifies Zimbabwe's non-representation in the Chinese market as one the chief reasons impeding the successful marketing of the country to China. A tourist office that was opened in Beijing in 2004 is presently unmanned while there is no single direct flight from China to Zimbabwe following the withdrawal of Air Zimbabwe in September 2011, heightening the cost of travel for potential tourists.

Other challenges pertain to visas, poor funding for promotional programs, limited destination awareness, and the unavailability of Zimbabwe on Chinese social media platforms. The