A DOMESTIC TOURIZIM STRATEGY AND ROLLOUT LECTURE

So this is just a guideline or proposal with which to approach the growth of the domestic touriZIM market. Normally strategies are not about treating a symptom but looking more at the root cause. So for example the symptom is that tourist destinations are of of reach for the locals because foreigners are willing to pay more. With the advent of COVID touriZIM players will have to look to domestic touriZIM to survive what is coming. Below is a domestic touriZIM model I developed and my hope is that it is simple enough to create the right stimulus this sector will so desperately need

The model

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The model is base on how my wife and I managed to save money to be able to travel the country and also the world. By adopting this philosophy we could have the whole country travelling in no time. This is based on touriZIM beginning at Home then the Neighbourhood then Town then Region and then the Nation. This model reflects how products need to be packaged and how each one will have a positive impact on the revenue of the other.

Home

Encouraging families to do events like game nights, dinner parties, braais at home with backyard camping. Families can already start learning to mobilise resources for a good day at home. Being creative at home certainly turns your home into a tourist attraction for others. Common etiquette needs to be taught like bring a bottle, bring and share or contributions to the hosts at all times. You will be amazed that people I have hosted for dinner at my home offered me free accommodation in some amazing tourist resorts they lived in.

Neighbourhood

Mobilising neighbourhood activities regularly such as drive in cinema at your local school or supermarket car park or acoustic nights for local artists and even a boozers or amateur league in sports can create a neighbourhood economy and ecosystem that can attract other neighbourhoods and grow the reach of touriZIM initiatives. Supporting local shops, businesses and even food stalls will improve business and productivity and even employ the youth in that community. Remember that your neighbourhood as local as you may think it is will be viewed by foreign eyes as international as well.

Town

At a town or city level visiting farms and having farm to table produce is a great way to energise our local farmers. Visiting your rural homes with your tents and galloping out in your village or switching villages with your friends is a great cross culture platform that will certainly change how products and services and good are sold in these areas. Government opening up initiatives that allow things like microbreweries or incentivising local processing of everyday foods like artisan cheese, coffees, preserves, bread etc are all very popular tourist activities when organised as tours.

Region

When we look to regional travel we are starting to look at road trips touching places in-between. The self drive markets or tiny homes. Galloping sites and trips to the lakes over the weekend. Slightly longer stays a bit heavier on the pocket but with all the savings you have made there is lots of cool ways to enjoy the country.

Nation

At a national level we are looking at getting some investment in timeshares, holiday homes being part of the bigger conferences or destinations you may ant to plan once a year or once every two years depending on the budget. It is important to note that travel is aspirational we get motivated to do better in life so we can upgrade how we travel. Not everyone needs to stay in a hotel to enjoy Victoria Falls for example and not everyone needs to fly into the town either.

Basically this model takes an approach of organising communities to be able to look at #touriZIM from a bottom up approach. Celebrating the little destinations and activities as much as the bigger ones. I have realised that as I have travelled the world, the best experiences were often the least expensive and most of them didn’t involve the bigger attractions.

From an organisation stand point micro #touriZIM needs to be taught and to get communities organising themselves from family level right up to the big tourism chains.

Feel Good Zimbabwe will be breaking this down further to show everyone what their place is in this entire ecosystem. This will also involve advocating for local travel by showing you amazing examples of how a dinner party in your home can be as memorable as a bungee jump at the Victoria Falls.