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Abstract
Background: Tourism in Zimbabwe has been affected by politics for more than two decades following the contested land-reform programme that was done in the year 2000. Therefore, understanding the destination competitiveness of Zimbabwean tourism is crucial for optimising tourist arrivals in the country as this industry is still contributing to the economy amid the political challenges. Aim: Given the importance of destination competitiveness, in the era of rising global competition, this study examined the factors that make Zimbabwe a competitive tourist destination, regardless of its political challenges. Setting: The study used data collected from hospitality and tourism managers for establishments in Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe, the Eastern Highlands and Harare. These are considered the major tourist destinations in Zimbabwe. Methods: Data were collected using a quantitative design from 301 tourism and hospitality managers. Results: The suppliers rated natural attractiveness, cultural attractiveness and human resources as critical dimensions contributing to the competitiveness of Zimbabwe. Significant to this study was the finding that perceptions differ depending on the type of establishment. Conclusion: As competition between destinations in Africa is growing, understanding the dimensions influencing destination competitiveness is invaluable, because it enables destination managers to focus on unique critical dimensions to sustain a competitive advantage.
Highlights
The tourism industry is considered a vital part of the economy globally due to its capacity to generate revenue and jobs (Musavengane, Siakwah & Leornard 2019; Woyo & Slabbert 2019)
The current study contributes to literature by identifying the dimensions influencing the destination competitiveness of a country with political challenges from the perspective of suppliers
Even though destination competitiveness factors have been identified in previous studies, the grouping of these aspects were unique
Summary
The tourism industry is considered a vital part of the economy globally due to its capacity to generate revenue and jobs (Musavengane, Siakwah & Leornard 2019; Woyo & Slabbert 2019). A government of major political parties was brokered by the state president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, and was established in 2009, following the inconclusive presidential results of 2008 This arrangement brought some stability, the sector has not fully recovered from the effects of the land reform policy as it continues to receive limited arrivals and its image remains negative. These challenges are exacerbated by a worsening political environment and contested presidential elections (Woyo & Slabbert 2020). Emerging research is beginning to understand travel behaviour in destinations that are politically unstable and economically distressed (Farmaki, Khalilzadeh & Altinay 2019; Hapairai, Walters & Li 2018; Woyo & Slabbert 2020), studies investigating what makes Zimbabwe competitive in these challenging times using supply data, remains under-researched
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