Domestic Tourism Development and Anchor Attractions: „Tourisming‟ the Small Towns in Zimbabwe - The Tourists‟ Perspectives.

Abstract

The problem is that more often than not tourism is perceived as an event rather that a process. Another error of perception is that the destination is seen as a pin - point area rather that an environment that can hardly be precisely defined. The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA’s) tourism and hospitality statistics derive from the country’s renowned destinations. Small towns are omitted. Tourism and hospitality statistics of some fairly big towns are added to those of anchor attractions. Unless the problem is resolved, the tourism potential of small towns will not be fully tapped. The paper investigated opportunities for domestic tourism development in the small towns of Chinhoyi and Karoi. It is crucial to view tourism as a much broader phenomenon occurring in a broader context. It does not seem prudent to allocate resources to much – publicised destinations ignoring what one could term the tourism corridor. A survey of 55 randomly selected domestic tourists in the two towns revealed that holiday experiences of the majority (51%) of respondents would improve through the provision of historical tourism. Forty three per cent required events and a variety of entertainment. Thirty per cent needed nature – based tourism. Family – oriented facilities were also proposed. The study recommended that route tourism be a subject of scholarly inquiry in Zimbabwean tourism.