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 Visiting Zambia?
And what are
ordinary Zambians in the private sector, both inside Zambia and out,
doing to support the Visit Zambia 2005 campaign? There's a lot of
talk out there, hot air being published in print and on-line, but
where's the action? How do Zambian tourism operators get the "Visit
Zambia" message out to tourists worldwide, enticing them to this
beautiful country, not just in what is left of 2005, but in 2006,
2007, and beyond? For that matter, how do they get the message out
to those who live here? The answer lies on the Internet.
Tourists and
travel agents alike turn to the Web as their first source of
information on a potential destination for themselves or their
clients, and they use e-mail for fast, efficient and inexpensive
communication to have their questions answered and their impressions
confirmed. But how many tourism operators (owners of hotels, lodges,
guest houses, restaurants, tour operators, travel agencies, etc.)
use this tool to its maximum potential, or at all? The answer is,
"Not enough."
There is
apparently still a mystique surrounding "getting on the Internet",
an impression that it costs tens of millions of kwacha and a degree
in rocket science to set up a simple Web site. But it doesn't have
to be that way. To be sure, there are many very bad Web sites out
there, hosted on "free" services (if you, the tourism operator,
don't mind subjecting potential clients to somebody else's banner
and pop-up advertisements) and created by a friend's teenaged son or
daughter for the cost of a night of all-you-can-eat pizza. These Web
sites instantly turn off your potential clientele, who hit the back
button on their Web browser and look for a Web site that presents a
more professional image.
But
VisitZambia.info is aiming to change that. A partnership between
"The Lowdown" in
Zambia
and NinerNet Communications in Canada, the goal of VisitZambia.info
is simple and clear: "Provide to Zambian tourism operators the means
to market themselves, by harnessing the power and cost-efficiency of
the Internet to take their message to tourists in Zambia and
throughout the rest of the world."
The concept is
also simple. NinerNet is developing a system whereby Zambian tourism
operators can register their own domain (an important step in
creating a professional image on the Internet) and then, using only
their Web browser, create a template-driven Web site that has
already been professionally designed; all it needs is the words and
pictures that will make that Web site a unique "Internet brochure"
that can be found and viewed quickly and easily by potential
tourists, wherever they may be. Integral to these Web sites will be
the ability to contact the tourism operators via e-mail (while
protecting them from the scourge of "spam", masses of unsolicited
bulk e-mail), so that the tourism operator has a chance to further
demonstrate how welcome tourists are in
Zambia
and to conclude the deal.
What the tourism
operator has here is a system that, essentially, allows you to
conduct a sales presentation (possibly in another time zone while
you are actually in bed sleeping) in the home of someone looking for
a place to spend a holiday, and then gives you the opportunity to
conclude the deal with the personal touch. On that last point,
nobody is going to plonk down their credit card on-line simply based
on your Web site; they are going to contact you via e-mail (through
your Web site) to feel you out first, perhaps even pick up the phone
to talk to you. These are highly qualified prospective visitors to
Zambia.
Adding to your
credibility will be the growing network of tourism operators that
will be featured on the VisitZambia.info Web site, all of whom will
link back to VisitZambia.info. This Web site is an integral part of
the plan to promote Zambia. This is not a free-for-all page of
links; it is a directory of tourism operators who have qualified
themselves by being willing to invest in their marketing efforts. It
is already linked to a number of highly-trafficked Web sites related
to Zambia, and it will continue to grow as more and more Zambian
tourism operators realise the intrinsic value of using the Internet
as a powerful, efficient, and cost-effective, international
marketing tool.
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June 2005