Europeans don’t know country called Zambia

A survey conducted by the National Tourism Board and the Tourism Council of Zambia through the Cornell University in the United Kingdom has revealed that about 60 percent of people in the west do not know about Zambia’s existence.

Tourism Board Chairman Timothy Mushibwe says the survey has also proved that the current brand that Zambia is using to market itself as one of the best tourism destinations is not effective.

Mr Mushibwe said this at a briefing to announce the launch of a new project that will be conducted by National Tourism Board and the Tourism Council of Zambia with the support of school of Hotel Administration department of Cornell University of the United Kingdom.

He said the school has been brought on board to package and design persuasive and attractive catch lines to compell more people to visit Zambia.

Mr Mushibwe observed that the current Zambia the Real Africa brand did not contribute to its marketing efforts but has instead left misconceptions among Zambia’s potential tourists.

And Cornell school of hotel administration marketing Associate Professor Rob Kwortnik says a six member student delegation from the school is embarking on new ways to analyze every facility that Zambia has and how best to market them.

He says there is need to devise a brand that will set the country apart if Zambia is to sustain its tourism market which attracts about 850 thousand tourists per year as compared to other African states.

Mr Kwortnik however said that the picture portrayed of Africa by the western media as a poor, dilapidated and war tone continent remains a barrier to Zambia’s attainment of its targeted market for tourism.

Meanwhile the National Tourism Board says it is putting in place mechanisms to attract visitors that will be attending the 2010 FIFA world cup tournament in South Africa starting in June.

Source: Zambia Watchdog (http://www.zambianwatchdog.com/2010/03/24/survey-europeans-dont-know-country-called-zambia/)

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