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Stan Higins
Correspondent
Zimbabwe’s travel and tourism sector has the potential to recover from the devastating blow of world lockdown, but it must be nurtured and supported by all stakeholders for this to be achieved.

This is the message being delivered by the Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe, which foresees survival followed by recovery by mid-2021 if a structured programme of support and encouragement is successfully created and sustained.

TBCZ president Ms Winnie Muchanyuka said travel and tourism was the first economic sector in Zimbabwe to feel the effects of the world response to Covid-19 and it has taken a greater blow from it than any other sector.

“Tourism arrivals started falling sharply as early as January and by late March were at a complete standstill, for the first time in this country’s history,” she said.

“This was not only the result of our own lockdown, but also that of many other countries’ lockdowns and from the effects of the unprecedented cessation of all air travel.”

The first phase of Zimbabwe’s lockdown in April saw closure of all travel and tourism businesses, followed by a gradual re-opening in succeeding months.

A number of businesses have closed while others have taken drastic survival measures such as downsizing and “shelving” to facilitate future recovery.

“It has been a worrying time and one in which the managerial skills of all business operators have been tested to the full, but I am pleased that almost everyone has been as positive and forward-thinking as possible, which gives cause for optimism for the medium to long term,” said Ms Muchanyuka.

During the entire period the TBCZ has been fully active and has been instrumental in activities and planning designed to protect, serve and re-activate travel and tourism.

“The role of the TBCZ has always been key to the success of this sector, but never more so than in these past seven months, when a focus has had to be given to fundamental  survival and action to stimulate recovery,” said Ms Muchanyuka.

“We have partnered with the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority to work in all relevant and important areas, and although a great many actions have been taken there is still much to do and we must ensure that lobbying is undertaken to obtain the inputs operators need to survive and be ready for revival.”

TBCZ proposed a set of measures as early as late March, aimed at fundamental protection of businesses and at recovery steps, and the council will continue to apply pressure where and when needed in areas such as tax relief, financial support, payment of money owing to businesses by the public sector and duty rebates on acquisition of capital good for upgrades and refurbishment.

“I must commend the entire TBCZ structure, including elected leaders, staff and members, for a wholly-supportive and stimulating period of team work that will, I am sure, result in an enabling environment as we re-open and make ready for a new era of international, regional and domestic travel and tourism,” said the TBCZ president.

The TBCZ is the voice of business operators in travel and tourism, providing a means by which operators can lobby, stimulate action and obtain a satisfactory operating environment.

It works with all relevant private and public sector bodies, including the ZTA, which was created by Act of Parliament to regulate the sector and promote tourism at all levels.

The TBCZ was originally known as the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism, an umbrella body for the travel and tourism sector created in 1988 and renamed in 2018.

Under the umbrella are the sectoral associations representing the various operational industries within travel and tourism, including travel agents, boat operators, airlines, hospitality organisations, safari operators, hunters, activity providers, tour operators and car rental companies.

The TBCZ is headed by a board of sector leaders, an elected president, appointed vice presidents and a full-time chief executive.

The current president is Ms Muchanyuka, country manager of South African Airways and head of the Board of Airline Representatives, while the chief executive is long-standing hospitality executive Mr Paul Matamisa.

“We have created a structure that can provide the necessary services to the sector’s thousands of operators and give them a share of voice as to what they want in the realisation of a successful travel and tourism sector,” said Ms Muchanyuka.

A major effort is now being made to ensure there is a suitable regional infrastructure, with an active TBCZ branch already in place in Victoria Falls, headed by well-known operator Barbara Murasiranwa. Branch operations are also being created or planned for Bulawayo, Masvingo and the Lowveld, the Eastern Highlands, Kariba and the Lower Zambezi, the Midland and Harare.

“To be effective we need unity and strength in numbers, so we are calling on all travel and tourism operators to join the TBCZ or its sectoral associations,” said Ms Muchanyuka.

“Any organisations outside the network will find themselves out of the loop and unable to play a role in developing at travel and tourism sector of worth and value, and our aim is to foster a national effort made possible by total collective effort.”