pr

Formerly known as Southern Rhodesia, Zimbabwe is a country that lies between two African rivers the Zambezi in the north and the Limpopo in the south. The country is known by tourists for its attractive tourist spots such as the Victoria Falls, Hwange National park, the Eastern Highlands and historical features such as the Ruins of Great Zimbabwe. Currently, because of unrest and political interference, Zimbabwe's vital export sectors have been crippled thereby starving the country of hard currency income. Because of recent economic hardships experienced in the country, the local tourism industry is suffering as tourists turn their back on the once popular destination. This country was once one of Africa's most rich countries and its economy was boosted by rich mineral resources and agricultural exports.
Even though there is political unrest in the country, Zimbabwe still has potential to satisfy tourists and to gain some income at that. As such, my Public Relations (PR) firm has been hired to create awareness of the country as a tourist destination in the Zambian market.
KEY PUBLICS TO REACH
To select the key publics to reach my firm will target people in employment who have enough money and interest to go for holidays. This includes people who are self-employed, and those in formal employment, learning institutions, local tourists, international tourists and high income people. To arrive at this, my PR firm will try and reach the following key publics:
1. Back- Packer Tourists:
These may consist of foreign adventure seekers visiting Zambia. In most cases, back packer tourists move in groups and may reside or camp anywhere. Back packers add to a national income because they pay for their tourist visits, their food and lodging and camping facilities. Another advantage of these groups is that they usually want to visit as many tourist places as possible; as a result, they are likely to spend a lot of money in the country. When in Zambia, these back packer tourists can also be informed about tourist attraction in Zimbabwe.

2. High Income earners and Celebrity Tourists:
These could be well to do individuals or groups and famous personalities who would spend a lot of money when they visit the country. For example, foreign investors who come to invest in Zambia could be targeted because these people despite their busy schedules also want to relax at one point or another and tourist spots are just the ideal places for their leisure. These will in turn spread the goodness of Zimbabwe’s tourism to other potential tourists in their countries.

Celebrities can also be my firm’s target audiences as most of them love vacations and adventure and not only can they boost the tourism sector with their money but with their fame as well. For instance, when the famous movie star and now governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, visited Zambia, he may have left a lot of revenue in the country. This is because he may have required high standard services like accommodation, food and so on, which cost more money as compared to an ordinary tourist. Apart from this, a very famous person like him is likely to attract a lot of people even from other countries who would want to have a physical glimpse of him because such personalities are rarely seen around. The people who came to watch him may have also been attracted to view other tourist attractions in Zambia. Therefore, if we can manage to attract such high value personalities, they would assist in attracting more tourists to Zimbabwe and raise her income. This is because the amount of money that one personality like Arnold would spend may be more than what ten local tourists are likely to spend.

3. Learning Institutions and Organisations.
These may be interested to go and enjoy tourism ventures in Zimbabwe. I would target schools, especially private ones because they usually send their students to other countries on educational tours. In view of the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, a historical site, universities and colleges would also be targeted because they may be interested in such a site for academic purposes.
My firm can also target individual organisations such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) because when they send their delegates for international conferences they usually arrange for them to relax after the conference. One of the ways is to take them to view chosen tourist attractions.

Companies are also another key public my firm will try and reach because they usually hold workshops and conferences at tourist spots such as lodges and hotels. After stressful workshops most participants would love to unwind and workshop organizers usually provide for such by taking their participants to tourist attractions.



4. Newly weds
My firm would pick newly weds as a key public because most of these would be looking for a place to spend their honey-moon and they may just find Zimbabwe to be an ideal place to do so. Others may want to hold family birthday parties at tourist spots as well.
5. Historians and Archeologists
These may include both local and international historians and archeologists as well as history and archeology students from within the country’s learning institutions. These would be interested in seeing the historical sites of Zimbabwe such as the great ruins of Zimbabwe.

SEGMENTATION
My firm will segment the above publics in respect of the following characteristics.
Income: This will help my firm determine the type of service to advertise to the would-be tourists. It is my firm’s belief that the more money that a person has the more likely they will consider going for tourist adventures.
Age: Knowing the age of our audience is important as it will assist in identifying the appropriate media to reach them with. Knowledge of the age of the audience will also help us in the determination of which age group has the most financial resources.
Way of life: Knowledge of people’s life styles will help us know the kind of tastes and choices of tourist places and activities they would love such as adventure, historical sites, game viewing, bird viewing and many others. Knowing the way of life of our audiences will also assist us come up with suitable messages to reach them with. Moreover, this will help us know what kind of media to use to reach them.
Geographical location: Knowing the geographical locations of our audience will help us determine what kind of communication channel to use. For example, we would use radio to communicate to those people who do not gain access to newspapers on time or never at all. On the other hand, we can also use television or newspapers for those audiences that are located in places where they can not access the two media.


COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES
We are going to use both the print and electronic media to reach our key publics as these two are most likely to be effective in reaching them. For example, using newspapers has got an advantage of people going back to stories and features for references. In this case we are going to use newspapers, travel magazines and brochures.

For the electronic media, we are going to use television, radio and the internet. Television has the emotional and visual aspect which works effectively because people will be able to see what we are offering. Radio is faster and heaper. The internet also accommodates pictures and videos of places. This will also be ideal taking into consideration that there are people who spend a lot of time surfing the internet.
Awareness messages
In creating awareness messages about Zimbabwe as a tourist destination, my firm will not ignore the aspect of political and social instability, which would discourage potential tourists to visit Zimbabwean tourist attractions. My firm would explain that the land possession programme in the country dates back to 1980.The message that will try and explain the land issue in Zimbabwe will hence be as follows:
The land possession programme in Zimbabwe dates back to the Lancaster House Agreement, between the Zimbabwean government and white landlords after the end of the colonial rule in 1980. The Agreement granted white landowners up to ten years land protection from the distribution policies and reforms. It also provided that there will be compensation after land seizure.

The Lancaster Agreement on the land tenure for white land owners expired in 1990, and government amended the constitution so that land could be redistributed within the country. This move soured the relationship between the Zimbabwean government and interested donor governments in the country’s land. The Zimbabwean government accused them of trying to maintain colonial distribution of wealth even after Zimbabwe was given its independence. In 2000, veterans of Zimbabwe's war for independence in the 1970s began squatting on land owned by white farmers in an effort to reclaim land taken under British colonization—one-third of Zimbabwe's arable land was owned by 4,000 whites. In Aug. 2002, Mugabe ordered all white commercial farmers to leave their land without compensation. Mugabe's support for the squatters and his repressive rule has led to foreign sanctions against Zimbabwe. Once heralded as a champion of the anti-colonial movement, Mugabe is now viewed by much of the international community as an authoritarian ruler responsible for egregious human rights abuses and for running the economy of his country into the ground.
Explaining the land situation will help our potential tourists to understand the issues as they really are. Because of the land conflict most tourists have tended to shun Zimbabwe as a tourist destination .My firm will hence restore their confidence in visiting Zimbabwe because most of these potential tourists think it is not a safe country to visit ever since the land disputes.

Having explained the land issue in Zimbabwe, my firm will then move on to generate awareness messages that will help market and sell the country’s many tourist attractions. My firm’s public relations marketing and publicity messages will include the following:

The Victoria Falls
On the Victoria Falls, my firm would inform people that: Victoria Falls is a spectacular sight of awe-inspiring beauty and grandeur on the Zambezi River, bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe in Africa. The legendary Victoria Falls are a ferocious curtain of water which is 1,700 meters wide that plunges deep into the gorge of the mighty Zambezi River. “Thundering smoke”, that’s what the local people of Zimbabwe call Victoria Falls. This is because the immense amount of water thundering over the edge of the falls forms an enormous cloud of thin spraying mist. Those wanting to relax can enjoy the hotel grounds and pool, shop in the local market and perhaps take a gentle sunset cruise, for those after an adrenalin rush try rafting or boogie boarding the rapids, bungee jumping or a micro light flight Victoria Falls serves up adventure to suit even the most avid thrill seeker! Remember, the water on the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls rarely reduces and you would enjoy the beauty of this at any time of the year.
The Zambezi River
About the Zambezi River my firm would tell the public that the mighty Zambezi River forms the northeastern border and here is where you'll find the incomparable spectacle of Victoria Falls and the magnificent expanse of Lake Kariba. The Zambezi has become one of the world's best water adventure travel destinations because of the outstanding whitewater rafting in the Zambezi Gorges below the Falls, as well as excellent canoeing and kayaking above them.
The Ruins of Great Zimbabwe
Here we would say that, this is a complex of ruins from which the country took its new name of Zimbabwe. These ruins extend a radius of 100 to 200 miles, a diameter almost as great as the entire nation of France. They are the largest ruins in the whole of Africa. The ruins are said to have been built by southern Africans about 600-1,000 years ago, they are evidence of a thriving culture in the heart of Africa. Up until recent years, the ruins were believed by Western historians to be the remains of a "mysterious white race" in the heart of Africa.

Hwange National Park
On this one our message will include the following information: for the conservation-minded, you cannot miss Hwange commonly known as Wankie Game Reserve - it's awesome! Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest game reserve. The size of Belgium, it has amongst the highest diversity of mammals for any National Park in the world with over 108 species.

The Eastern Highlands
The Eastern Highlands comprise three main mountain groups - Nyanga to the north, Bvumba centrally situated near the city of Mutare and Chimanimani to the south. These regions are all sparsely populated, highland country with a cooler and wetter climate than other parts of Africa.

Other tourist attractions
Our firm will generate short messages on these other tourist attractions and they will be as follows:
The Chimanimani National Park offers tourists an opportunity for bush walking. There are no roads in this Park, making it an ideal spot for hiking.

Vumba National Park is famous for its beauty forests and botanical gardens. It offers walking opportunities and beautiful views of one of Zimbabwe’s neighboring countries.

Lake Kariba, which is one of the world’s largest man-made lakes, stands as another spectacular place. Here, tourists can entertain themselves with boating, game viewing, fishing and camping.

Outstanding Arts and Crafts
Our messages on outstanding arts and craft would contain pictures of various artworks and craft originally made in Zimbabwe, including their brief background and their meanings.

Other messages would include:
Pictures of attractive destinations.
Messages about the good people of Zimbabwe.
Messages about good road network.
Show animal and animal species in game parks and those that are not found anywhere.
Information on accommodation, for instance pictures about beautiful hotels, motels, lodges and the international standard food including local dishes offered.
Messages about Zimbabwe’s warm climate would be used. For those tourists visiting the Victoria Falls at the end of the rainy season, the immense amount of water thundering over the edge of the falls literally forms an enormous cloud of thin spraying mist. This mist translates into cool temperatures.
Geographical location of Zimbabwe and other tourist attractions.
Transport
On transport, my firm would say: Zimbabwe has good transport network. For example, the railway system connects Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and the Victoria Falls. It is much cheaper to use a train than a bus.
Communication
The message on communication would say; Zimbabwe has a good communication network, with a wide range of services such as mobile telecommunications, internet services, and other services. Examples of these include EcoNet, MTN, among others.
Health Services
My firm’s message would say: In cases of injuries and sickness to tourists and the local people, Zimbabwe is well equipped with health centres and hospitals for the better health of the people.

APPROPRIATE MEDIA FOR THIS PURPOSE
Newspapers
These will be used for feature articles about tourism in Zimbabwe. These will include both private and public newspapers. In addition, we will take advantage of the Zambian newspaper supplements on tourism in Zimbabwe on specific days as part of the promotion.

Television
We would be running documentaries of Zimbabwean tourist attractions. Such documentaries will be showing the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls, pictures of Hwange National Park, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the Eastern Highlands and various art works and crafts by Zimbabweans, including hotels and lodges. The documentaries will be running on the Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) and MUVI TV.
Radio
Radio will be used because of its ability to reach a larger audience and it is also cheaper and faster. Radio is also advantageous because it has a wider coverage.
Travel Magazines
For magazines, feature stories about Zimbabwe tourism can be used in Zambia for publicity. I would also ensure that we sponsor tourism pages specifically talking about Zimbabwean tourism. The magazines can be placed in strategic places such as hotels, lodges, motels, airport lounges and receptions of tourism attractions in order to allow tourists visiting Zambian attractions to have some knowledge about Zimbabwe and its tourist attractions. The magazines will also be placed in both passenger airplanes that operate in Zambia or have any Zambian destination. These may end up wanting to have a feel of Zimbabwean tourism. Zambian magazines to be used include The Lusaka Lowdown, and Zed Magazine, among others.
A deliberate action will be taken to ensuring that Zimbabwean tourism articles are placed in magazines which market African tourist spots. These are magazines like Essence of Africa and Sabuhona. Such magazines are particularly popular with frequent travelers.

Brochures
Just like magazines, these can be placed in strategic places where both ordinary people and tourists can pick them up and read at their own time. The same message that is published in a magazine would be the one put in brochures but now summarized.

In-flight Video Advertising
Arrangements or partnership with various airlines can be done so that videos can be played in planes to publicize Zimbabwean tourism. Flights between Zambia and Zimbabwe will be targeted. Airline owners would be advised that if passengers read or watch messages on Zimbabwean tourism, they may want to travel again to specifically view our tourism attractions. In this way, they will also get more customers on their flights to Zimbabwe.

Exhibitions
Another strategy of marketing Zimbabwean tourism in Zambia would be through exhibitions at Trade and Commercial shows. Our exhibitions and fairs would comprise of various art works and crafts made in Zimbabwe.

It would also be a great opportunity to display magazines and brochures with information about tourist attraction centres in Zimbabwe. Specifically, the Zimbabwean side of the Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the Eastern Highlands and outstanding arts and crafts. I would also display information about good road-networks, security in Zimbabwe, international standard hotels, lodges and other accommodation facilities.

In this time of high technology, a video display showing the parks, great ruins of Zimbabwe and other tourist attractions would be made available. I would also make sure that as Public Relations officer, I am personally there at the exhibitions so that I can explain Zimbabwean tourism in great depth and answer any other such related queries.
Arts and crafts by Zimbabweans would also be exhibited here.



Promotion Concert
Through a promotional concert, musical artists such as Oliver Mutukudzi “the elephant of Zimbabwe” would be invited to come to Zambia to participate. The concerts would target places such as Hotel International, Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka as well as Sun Hotel in Livingstone, where very high income people and potential tourists are usually found.
This is because Mutukuzi is popular in Zambia and would pull a huge crowd and we would use this opportunity to market our tourism. We would also inform him that the purpose of the concert is to market Zimbabwean tourism in Zambia, therefore he should promote Zimbabwean tourism during the concert.

Alliances with Tour Operators
In this case, as a firm, we would partner with tour operators like Voyagers to help market Zimbabwe. When they transport tourists for instance, they can give them information about Zimbabwe and its tourism industry. It is very possible that after touring Zambia, tourists may be encouraged to visit Zimbabwe as well.

The Internet
The internet has increasingly become important tool in promoting tourism programmes world over. Use of internet services in Zambia has grown tremendously and so the opportunities for our promotions are many. Most people are spending a lot of time browsing the internet and may come across our tourism promotional products.

One key use for us will be the use of websites. Creating a tourism website would help promote Zimbabwe’s tourism industry in the Zambian market. This is in view of the fact that websites can be accessed anywhere in the world, including Zambia. A website will include detailed information about Zimbabwe’s tourist destinations. The website can also include pictures of Zimbabwe’s tourist attractions as well as comments from tourists who have visited Zimbabwe. The visual aspect and hyperlinks are an added advantage of a website as this is likely to attract as many tourists as possible.

In addition to our website, the internet can be used to advertise our tourism destinations on popular sites that attract countless visitors everyday. This will include placing advertisements on Zambian websites such as Coppernet (www.coppernet.zm), and Microlink (www.microlink.zm).

Press Junkets
Here, as a firm, we would organize reporters from various media houses and take them on a tour in Zimbabwe. These reporters will in turn write news stories or come up with a television package that would promote tourism in Zimbabwe.

Presentations to Captive Audiences
As a Public Relations firm, we would take advantage of international or national conferences by displaying our tourism products and messages. This would enable us to attract conference attendants to go and view tourism in Zimbabwe.