Published: 21 January 2014

A 12-member tourism delegation from the United Kingdom is in the country to try and restore confidence of western tourists on Zimbabwe as a tourist destination.

The delegation, which consists of tour operators and journalists, is the first group from the UK in a long time. Speaking to journalists soon after the arrival of the team, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority representative in the UK, Felicia Munjaidi, said the visit would help to boost tourist arrivals in the country.

"The main purpose of this invitation is to mend relations with the British who ceased coming into the country for a very long time. The delegation comprises of tour operators and journalists and the journalists have the duty to portray the good image of the country when they go back to Britain," she said.

Munjaidi said the arrival of the delegation would continue to instil confidence on other delegations with plans of coming to Zimbabwe.

She said the delegation would also meet the British ambassador to Zimbabwe to lobby for the relaxation of travelling requirements for instance the issue of visas as it is a threat to the growth of tourism in the country. Another member of the delegation Rupert Parker said they came to Zimbabwe to get firsthand information about the country.

"It is unfortunate that Zimbabwe has been getting negative publicity from the West, therefore our delegation is privileged to get the right information on the ground rather than speculating," he said.

Parker said he was impressed by the weather and the people in Zimbabwe in such a short stay in the country. Over the years, the country has been engaged in a destination marketing drive to counter negative publicity, mainly by the western media.

To counter this, ZTA engaged in many programmes to help boost the country's image and restore confidence on the country as a tourist destination. ZTA also partnered with South African Airways to provide free air tickets as an incentive for tourism delegations coming to Zimbabwe- especially from Western countries.
- BH24

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