European market for African destinations

Reporrs

enormous and the opportunities that could arise both for tourism and conservation through greater utilization of this potential are bountiful. This amorphous and, indeed, nebulous situation that faces tourism and conservation in the National Parks could be greatly clarified by a clearly defined Government policy that is supported by effective legislation ie replacing the reliance on consultation procedures and voluntary agreements. If this is not achieved, are we to see in the words of Horst Stern, “first the cow goes then the guest and eventually the native?” Through such a policy a broader objective may be attained, which would be to bring all the various departments, or the relevant responsibilities, and bodies connected with tourism under the one umbrella, namely a Xlinister for Arts Heritage and Culture. 0. Leslie, Lecturer in Tourism Studies Department of Hotel and Catering University of Ulster, Whiteabbey Jordanstown County Antrim, BT37 OQB, UK

Notes: ‘Tourism and Recreation Unit, The Economy of Rural Communities in the National Parks of England and Wales, Research Report No 47, August 1981, paragraph 2,ll.l. ‘J.G. Coppock and B.S. Duffield, Recreation in the Countryside: A Spatial Analysis, MacMillan, London, 1975. 3Lord Strange, Chairman National Parks Review Committee 1963. 4For further details see Dunnerdale in Danger leaflet produced by the Friends of the Lake District, January, 1983. %e Guardian, 7 January 1984. 6The Quarry in question is Topley Pike. Tarmac wish to extend the quarry into Deepdale, adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSI). One objection raised is that as it is a quarry it will have detrimental effects on the SSSI. ‘For further discussion on tourism and historic buildings see M. Binney and M. Hanna, Preservation Pays, SAVE Britain’s Heritage, 1984. ‘The use of the term tourists here is to be taken to include all visitors. V.H. Davies, A Walk Round The Lakes, Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1979. ‘@The Automobile Association estimated that at the peak period 3 000 cars per hour were moving into the Lake District on Easter Friday 1985. “Op tit, Ref 9. 56

‘*Quoted in A. MacEwan and M. MacEwan, National Parks: Conservation Or Cosmetics?, George Allen and Unwin, London, 1982, p 86. ‘30p cit. Ref 9, p 129. “‘TRRU Rural Communities in the Nat/onal Parks of England and Wales para 3.1.2. “National Parks and Access to the Countrvside Act 1949. “The Countryside Act 1969.

“8. Green, Countryside Conservation: the Protection and Management of Amenity Ecosystems. Allen and Unwin, London, 1981. “The Daily Telegraph. 20 August 1984. lgThe Guardian, 7 March 1985. “The Guardian, 21 September 1984. *‘Countryside Recreation Research Advisor-v Grouo. Countrvside Recreation Gloss&y, Countryside Commission, I 970.

European market for African destinations Tourism marketing is problematic in African countries where, in addition to the usual problems faced by developing countries, there is a negative African image to be overcome. S. Nyaruwata, Research and Planning Manager of the Zimbabwe Tourist Development Corporation, has examined the views of European tour operators with the aim of evaluating the competitiveness of Zimbabwe relative to some other African destinations. He reports here on the results of his survey which seem to indicate that were Zimbabwe to overcome its problems of political instability then Zimbabwe would have a high potential for tourism development. Tourism marketing for the majority of developing countries is a constant uphill struggle. The situation is more critical for African countries. This is due to the fact that besides the general adverse factors which are common to other developing countries the image of Africa overseas leaves a lot to be desired. The notion of ‘darkest Africa’ still lingers on in the minds of both tour operators and potential visitors. This is further reinforced by the continual instability of African govemments. While the problems of Africa’s image overseas are acknowledged by most African governments involved in tourism there has been little work undertaken to attempt to assess in quantitative terms tour operators’ views of the different African destinations. This has been a major ommission on the part of Africa’s different national tourist organizations because tour operators are a crucial and powerful link in the travel industry. As Erbs has pointed out “They are the ones who choose the places to be visited and itineraries to be followed, can fill the means of transport and accommodation capacity or leave

them empty, impose standards and partly dictate prices especially for accommodation . . .“I It was the realization of the central role of the tour operators in the travel business and the role that tourism is playing in the economic development of a number of African countries that stimulated the undertaking of fieldwork in Europe which forms the basis for the present paper.

Methodology The research was divided into two stages. The first stage involved sending out questionnaires to selected tour operators in the UK and FR Germany who featured African destinations in their brochures. In all 16 questionnaires were sent out to the UK tour operators and 12 to West German tour operators. The tour operators were asked to rank the quality of each factor listed on a scale of nought to 10. As the aim of the study was mainly to evaluate the competitiveness of Zimbabwe in comparison to other African destinations, it was felt that the most appropriate countries to

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1986

Rrporrs Table 1. Results of tour operators survey for the UK market 1964. Maximum attainable points from eight respondents

Factors

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (6) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13)

I;:; (16) (17) (16) (19) (20) (21) (22) (23)

Suitable tour@ accommodatfon Fnendlrness towards vrsrtors Sightseeing Beaches Wildlife viewing General tounst attractions Recreational and sports facilitres Shopping for tourists Climate Cleanliness Courtesy of officials Professionalism of hotel interests in dealing with tour operators AvarIability of arr-fare to destinatron Reliability of air service Reliability of domestic transport Price of holiday ‘Value for money’ destination Popularity of destination Effectiveness of NTOiministry Frequency of receipt of promotional literature Usefulness of literature received Tourists personal property safety Political stability Total points

Destination and points attained’ Ke

ra

Ma

Zi

za

80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80 80

74 69 71 67 67 71 77 67 70 65 59

75 54 45 37 32 27 33 51 39 46

37 43 51 45 54 39 28

52 53 49 61 42 36

68

43

38

56

60

60

69

36

41

66

40

43

51

80

70

30

34

39

61

80 80 80 80 80 80 80

68 57 54 55 60 75 64

36 32 26 36 42 27 23

41

42

51

38

41

61

29

30

58

38

33

41

41

40

61

34

38

37

36

42

51

80 80 80 80

36 42 58 40

13 20 47 24

26

38

41

24

34

38

36

51

51

23

31

19

1 760

1 369

773

771

934

1

4

Ranking

5

3

62 62 67 52 55

1170 2

Note: Ke. Kenya; Ma, Malawi: Ta. Tanzania: Za. Zambia; and Zi. Zimbabwe

compare with were Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania and Kenya. It was hoped that the tour operators’ ratings of these countries would help to indicate the level of competition Zimbabwe is likely to encounter from these destinations. The response from the tour operators was fairly high. In the UK the response rate was 68% and in FR Germany it was 3S%. The second phase of the research involved conducting in-depth interviews with a number of tour operators in the UK, Switzerland, FR Germany and France. In all 15 tour operators were interviewed. The interviews were conducted during June and July of 19s-t.

Comparative competitiveness the destinations

of

Tables 1 and 2 show the results of the questionnaires sent out to the tour operators in the UK and FR Germany. The results from the two countries clearly indicate the difference in perception of the tour operators of the

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five countries as tourist destinations. Within the UK market Kenya is seen as offering the best overall product followed by Zimbabwe, Zambia and then Malawi. Tanzania’s overall product is seen as the least competitive. But within FR Germany, Zimbabwe is seen as offering the best overall product, followed by Kenya, Zambia and then Malawi. Tanzania is again seen as the least competitive counrry of the five destinations. Tanzania is only regarded as competitive when wildlife viewing is being evaluated. Malawi and Zambia are seen constantly as uncompetitive on almost all the factors listed when compared to the other destinations. A closer analysis of the responses to the questionnaires on Kenya and Zimbabwe brings out a number of interesting factors. Within the UK market the two countries are seen as offering a product of the same standard as far as factors 1, 2, 3 and 5 are concerned. In terms of general tourist attractions recreational. sporting and shopping facilities for tourists - Kenya is regarded as providing these facilities

March 1986

better than Zimbabwe. With regard to cleanliness of hotels and courtesy of ofticials the two destinations are again given the same rating. While Zimbabwe is seen as a destination that lacks competitive air-fares the reliability of its air service and domestic transport is regarded as being better than that of Kenya. The tour operators view Zimbabwe as an expensive destination when compared to Kenya but at the same time it is seen as slightly better value for money. In terms of popularity Kenya is a far superior destination to Zimhabwe. Finally Zimbabwe is viewed as the worst destination of the five when evaluating political stability. A number of observations need to be made with regard to the points listed above. First, the political problems of Zimbabwe, which are often over-exaggerated by the media within the UK market, are a hurdle that the tourist promoters have to battle with continually. The improvement of the country’s image in this market will need to be tackled by the combined efforts of the various representatives of the country. The following comments from tour operators in the UK illustrate the depth of the problem Zimbabwe is facing in promoting itself within this market:

0 *.Potentially

a very good destination of high standard infrastructure and scenic, climatic and wildlife attractions.” potential in that there 0 “Enormous are superb places to visit and excellent hotels and lodges. It is only the political atmosphere that deters clients.“’ From these comments it is evident that once the political problems of the country are over the UK could become one of Zimbabwe’s most expanding markets. What is however encouraging is that despite the negative press coverage Zimbabwe receives in the UK, tour operators are extremely keen to sell the destination. Zimbabwe is seen as a destination with a high potential demand in the UK.; Second, although air-fares to Zimbabwe are regarded as high and therefore contributing to the expensiveness

57

Reports Tabie 2. Results

of tour operators survey for the FR Germany Maximum attainable points from five respondents

Factors

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (‘3) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) Cl31 (14) (15) (16) (17) (18) (1% (20) (21) (22) (231

Suitable tourist accommodation Friendliness towards visitors Sightseeing Beaches Wildlife viewing General tourist attractions Recreation and sports facilities Shoppmg for tourists Climate Cleanliness Courtesy of officials Professionalism of hotel interests in dealing with tour operators Availability of air-fare to destination Reliability of air service Reliability of domestic transport Price of holiday ‘Value for money’ destination Popularity of destination Effectiveness of NTOiministry Frequency of receipt of promotional literature Usefulness of literature received Tourist personal property safety Politic& stability

Total points

market 1984. Destination attained.’ Ke

Ma

and points

Ta

Za

Zi

50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50

41 41 34 46 43 36 35 37 38 31 35

21 29 24 35 28 26 31 38 34 32

27 25 31 18 48 34 19 24 38 27 32

24 37 30

36 41 36

44 26 26 28 39 30 34

47 36 29 31 z: 33

50

40

35

22

36

38

50 50 50 50 50 50 50

42 39 23 34 39 29 40

29 33 28 37 31 28 16

23 23 13 33 20 23 21

30 36 32 34 31 29 22

35 40 42 40 37 34 28

50 50 50 50

t8 25 -

23 24 -

17 19

26 30

34 35

34

38

31

33

31

f 100

737

625

577

659

764

2

4

5

3

Ranking

1

Note: Ke, Kenya: Ma, Malawi; Ta, Tanzania: Za, Zambia; and Zi, Zimbabwe.

of the destination, it is important to take a cautious view of this claim. Interviews with tour operators indicated that the expression of this view was more concerned with the profitability of the packages to the tour operators rather than having a direct effect on the client’s choice of destination. It was noticed that most of the tour operators who complained about air-fares were the major operators of these countries. The small tour operators regarded the air-fares as reasonable and pointed out that the profitability of the destination was in no way affected by the cost of the air-fare.’ In essence the overall complaint on airfares is based on the need of the big tour operators to have high turnovers and thereby high profits. The views of the FR Germany tour operators differ significantly in many respects from those of the UK tour operators with regard to Zimbabwe and Kenya. Zimbabwe is seen as offering better sightseeing and wildlife attractions than Kenya. But the latter country is regarded as offering better

58

sporting facilities for tourists. Unlike the UK tour operators the FR Germany tour operators regarded Zimbabwe as offering cleaner facilities when compared to Kenya. Air-fares to Zimbabwe are also seen as uncompetitive but at the same time the Zimbabwe air service and internai transport is seen as being superior to that of Kenya. In terms of popularity Kenya is again seen as a far more popular destination than Zimbabwe. Interestingly political stability within Zimbabwe is not such a negative factor in FR Germany as it is in the UK. This is probably due to the fact that there have been no historical links between Zimbabwe and FR Germany. The focus of the FR Germany media on Zimbabwe has therefore been limited whereas in the UK Zimbabwe has been constantly in the news. As is the case in the UK Zimbabwe is again seen by FR Germany tour operators as a destination with a high potential for future tourism development. One noticeable difference, however, is that FR Germany tour

operators are more positive in their views on the future of the tourist industry than their UK counterparts. This is well illustrated by the comments below reproduced from questionnaires sent out to FR German) tour operators: Zimbabwe offers a lot of interesting areas in various landscapes for tourists, with good Facilities in hotels. lodges, ground and air transportation. wildlife viewing, etc. whose services are performed very carefully. The tourist infrast~cture of Zimbabwe is competitive and parriaily superior to other comparable destinations. Also the climatic conditions are recommendable for 3 journey for ail seasons. There is a potential for Zimbabwe as the country has to offer quite a large variety of attractions. However due to close downs of hotels (in Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe Ruins) and services not being available any more to Masvingo for Zimbabwe Ruins we fear that it will become more difficult to bring clients to Zimbabwe.’ Discussions with tour operators in FR Germany revealed further differences on how tour operators view Zimbabwe. For exmapte the FR Germany tour operators regard the cost of packages to Zimbabwe as being fairly reasonable. While the political problems of the country are acknowledged, their impact on the clients is not seen to be as effective as is believed to be the case by UK tour operators.

One of the most jmportant findings which come out of the interviews with the tour operators in the UK, FR Germany, France and Switzerland was the tour operators’ knowledge of the quality of the products of the different countries they promote. It was evident that tour operators in these countries were clearly aware of the type of product they were attempting to sell. They were also aware of the nature and characteristics of their markets. Wherever it was fett that the African product was not coming up to the specific requirements of the target market the tour operators either shifted into a new market segment which would find the offered product acceptable, or promoted a new destination which offered the quality of tourist product that the market was searching for.

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A typical example of the last option is the case of one of the major French tour-operating companies which for a long time has been sending safari tourists to Kenya. It was pointed out that since the mid 1970s the company had been receiving an increasing number of complaints from clients who felt that they were not getting value for money on their holidays to Kenya. Since the attainment of independence by Zimbabwe, the company has been making a determined effort to promote Zimbabwe as an alternative safari destination.’

tion was offering a competitive product. It was evident that once these middlemen of the travel business were convinced that a given destination was saleable they would use different information systems to reach the appropriate target markets. The poor image of the African continent is therefore not as insurmountable a problem as it is often thought to be by marketers in the national tourist organizations of the various African countries.

Specific

It has been seen that the five countries are viewed differently by the European tour operators in terms of the quality of their tourist products. This means therefore that the five countries have to adopt different marketing strategies in order to increase their share of European tourists. Of the five African destinations under discussion Kenya has been shown to be the most popular tourist destination especially within the UK market. Kenya’s popularity is a product of a number of factors the major one being that the country’s tourist industry has a long history. The destination is therefore fully established in the minds of both the tour operators as well as that of the travetling public. Kenya’s popularity within the generating countries is now posing a problem. The industry has graduaIiy developed to a point whereby ‘everyone’ seems to know Kenya. The discerning tourist is therefore shifting to destinations that are still perceived as prestigious. The major marketing effort that needs to be undertaken by the Kenyan national tourist organization is to show that there are other parts of Kenya which are still out of reach to the massive numbers of European tourists. In essence what the national tourist organization needs to do is to undertake a promotional campaign similar to that mounted by Spain in 1983 and 1983 of promoting the ‘other Spain’. Hand-in-hand with this campaign the national tourist organization will also need to pay special attention to the country’s tourist product which is seen by some tour operators as gradually declining.

problems

Besides being aware of the nature and characteristics of the products they are dealing with the tour operators also revealed that they were aware of the specific problems of the different African destinations with regard to marketing them in their respective countries. For example it was pointed out in France that the name Zimbabwe was unfamiliar to the French market. Within the Swiss market only a small segment of the population had any idea of the whereabouts of Malawi. It is mainly the task of the tour operator to overcome these problems in his market if he decides to market the given destination. For the tour operator to involve himself in this type of undertaking he needs to be certain that the destination will be sellable. To come to this conclusion he needs to satisfy himself of the quality of the product the destination is offering. In essence this means that before the African national tourist organizations can begin to market their countries overseas they have to be certain that the products they are offering are competitive at the international level. This is essential for tour operators are not phiIanthropists. They are therefore unwilling to give space in their brochures to destinations which they are certain will not sell. It has already been pointed out that marketing African destinations overseas is an uphill struggle, however, it was noticed during the interviews with the tour operators that the real struggle was in convincing these ‘coordinators of demand’ that a given destina-

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From both the questionnaires and the interviews with the tour operators Zimbabwe was seen as a country that has a high potential for tourism development. Once the political problems within the country are overcome the task of the national tourist organization will be to undertake a vigorous marketing campaign. The campaign will need to be planned carefully because each of the four generating countries offers different problems. UK mffrX_et

Marketing

March 1986

implications

Within the UK market the promotion will need to be directed to the travelling public. This will entail advertising in newspapers, eg The Sunday Times Magazine and The Observer Magazine. Within the same market it will also be essential to evolve a marketing strategy that will aim at reaching specific market segments. For example it will be necessary to advertise and have articles published in journals like Game ~s~iffg and GoIJ ;Cront!rl~. This will help to tap very spenftc market segments within the UK. French market

In France Zimbabwe is still an unknown destination. The marketing strategy within this country would therefore need to concentrate on the travel trade. Advertising will therefore need to be undertaken in the travel-trade press, and contacts will have to be made with the travel trade so as to familarize it with the destination. FR Germany

market

Whilst Zimbabwe is well established as a tourist destination within the FR Germany travel trade, there is now a need to familiarize the travelling public with the destination. A large section of the FR Germany public is still more aware of Rhodesia than Zimbabwe. To overcome this problem it will be necessary to undertake a vigorous consumer promotion campaign. Swiss market

Within the Swiss market it will be necessary to mount a promotional campaign that is aimed at both the travel trade and the consumer. This is

59

Rrporrs: Virwpomi

necessary for there is still a larse section of the travel trade which is not very familiar with Zimbabwe’s product(s). At the same time the majority of the Swiss long-haul tourists are very sensitive to the security situation in Zimbabwe. They therefore need to be assured of their personal safety. This can only be achieved if there are several articles about the country in the leading Swiss newspapers.

Other African countries Malawi. Tanzania and Zambia seem to be facing a similar problem within the European markets. The three countries’ tourist products are regarded as uncompetitive. The major problem areas are seen as lack of suitable accommodation, lack of professionalism on the part of the hotel industry in dealing with tour operators, and unreliability of domestic transport. Before the national tourist organizations of these three countries can embark on any serious promotional campaigns within Europe it will be necessary to be certain that their products have been improved. Tour operators are unwilling to promote a product they feel does not measure up to the expectations of their clients.

Conclusion It is possible to derive a number of pertinent conclusions about marketing African destinations in Europe. First there is no doubt that the majority of the European tour operators are not very keen on promoting African destinations due to the general negative image of the African continent within the European markets. Second it is clear that those tour operators who promote African destinations have a very detailed knowledge of the products of the countries they feature in their brochures. The tour operators also keep a close monitoring system of the views of their clients. Whenever a destination begins to show signs of unpopularity they begin to explore new destinations in which to channel their clients. Third it is evident that the five African destinations considered above face problems that are specific to themselves. The improvement of each country’s share of the European market will depend on each of the five countries undertaking policies aimed at improving those aspects of their tourist industry which are perceived as negative by the European tour operators. In the cases of Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania this will entail a concentration on product improvement. Zim-

babwe will need to concentrate on improving the country’s overseas marketing: and finally Kenya will need a strategy aimed at creating a new image.

Research and Planning Manager Zimbabwe Tourist Development Corporation Ambassador Hotel, 88 Union Avenue Harare, PO Box 8052 Causeway, Zimbabwe Notes: A fuller version of this discussion can be found in S. Nyaruwata, Tourism Marketing in Zimbabwe and Kenya, a Comparative Analysis, dissertation offered for the degree of Master of Science in Tourism at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, 1984. ‘Erbs, International Tourism and the Economy of the Developing Counfries, p 9. 2Comments from questionnaires: sources confidential. 3Personal conversation with tour operators in London 5 July 1984. 4Personal telephone conversation with the Marketing Director of a Munich touroperating company, Frankfurt, 26 June 1984. Tomments from questionnaires: sources confidential. ‘Personal conversation with tour operators in Frankfurt, 26 June 1984. ‘Personal conversation with company sales manager, Paris, 2 July 1984, source confidential.

Viewpoint The future of amusement parks and attraction industry This viewpoint is taken from a talk given by John R. Graff, Executive Director, International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, at the recent Assessment of the future of the American Recreation and Tourism Complex conference, Office of Technology Assessment, US Congress, Washington, DC, USA.

In trying to assess the future impact on the amusement park and attraction industry of changes in demographics. technology, governmental policy and

60

social and economic habits it is helpful to keep in mind that the industry is something over 200 years old, having begun before America was founded.

The earlier amusement parks in this country began operation in the first half of the 19th Century. A number of parks currently operating have been in existence for over 100 years and the oldest park still in operation is in its 138th year. This is important because it suggests that as an entertainment form the amusement park is quite durable. Furthermore, while the park of today

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March 1986