Appropriateness of Branding as a Tourism Resuscitation Tool for Zimbabwe

Abstract

We investigated the appropriateness of branding in resuscitating tourism in a market facing a decline in tourist arrivals since the past decade that experienced macro-economic and polit ical challenges. However the new political dispensation ushered by the Government of National Unity (GNU) c reated stable conditions allowing the Zimbabwe tourism sector to (re) brand. This saw the country then launching a new tourism b rand, “Zimbabwe: A world of wonders”. The main purpose of this study was to explore the potential of previously unbranded tourist attractions to strength an ailing national brand facing a plethora of challenges. Our approach was based on a hybridised quantitative and qualitative dimension. Results indicate that branding strategies and policies in p lace to position Zimbabwe as a prime tourist destination employed by the tourism authorities in Zimbabwe are somewhat ineffective potentially due to limited stakeholder engagement. The conclusions thereof emphasise on the need to promote undiscovered tourist gems and foster an integrated destination promotion strategy that takes cognisance of stakeholders as a drive to improve Zimbabwe’s brand identity.