The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) Secretariat together with four of the five Partner States, the Republics of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, supported the “ASA goes KAZA” German outbound tour operator and travel agent familiarization tour which took place from 30 May – 7 June 2023.
ASA, a leading German tourism private sector association servicing German-speaking markets, partnered with the KAZA Secretariat and tourism boards of the four participating Partner States to provide German, Austrian, and Swiss outbound travel agents and tour operators with first-hand exposure to tourism destinations and offers in the KAZA region.
Familiarization tour participants experienced several iconic nature, wildlife and cultural heritage destinations and offerings at KAZA. At the end of the tour, participants gathered in the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, for a large central event featuring the region’s main tourism stakeholders.
Speaking at the “ASA goes KAZA” convergence event on Monday, June 6, ASA President Guido Bürger said that “travel agents often sell destinations they have never visited. This initiative offers tour operators and travel agents an opportunity to experience these destinations first-hand,” he said.
Dr. Nyambe Nyambe, Executive Director of the KAZA Secretariat, welcomed and lauded ASA for coming to KAZA. In his welcome speech, he remarked that ‘ASA goes KAZA” presented an opportunity to showcase KAZA’s spectacular tourism assets and potential. Dr. Nyambe also took the opportunity to appreciate the different stakeholders driving tourism development in KAZA. He stressed the need to continue strengthening collective action in tourism development and marketing, more so considering the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector.
The convergence event was attended by over 70 stakeholders from the tourism industry including, the KAZA Secretariat, national tourism organizations of the four partner states, tour operators and travel agents (European and regional) as well as accommodation and activity service providers. It featured presentations from ASA, the KAZA Secretariat, participating tourism boards, and the event’s airline partner – Eurowings Discover.
The event also comprised speed marketing, offering the destination marketing organizations and tourism businesses an opportunity to profile their offers to the familiarisation tour participants. Resultantly, participating operators and agents learned about the conservation and tourism development goals and objectives of KAZA, as well as exchanged ideas on opportunities to repackage or even expand their current offers to the region.
“This familiarisation tour and convergence event gave me a fresh perspective on what travel and tourism can be. The wonderful “gems” in KAZA and the values that the region stands for challenged me to see tourism as more than an adventure but also an opportunity to experience and contribute towards conservation. This is a theme we are confident will appeal to our eco-conscious and adventure-seeking clients” said one of the German tour operators.
The ASA goes KAZA initiative was partly supported by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW and GIZ. The initiative is just one of the several tourism marketing and development assignments to be delivered by the Secretariat working with Partner States this year. Other tourism initiatives underway include the following:
- Development and implementation of the KAZA tourism destination brand and corporate identity
- Implementation of a KAZA tourism marketing campaign
- Development of The Great KAZA birding route
- Development of a Tracks4Africa map of KAZA
For more updates on KAZA TFCA, its tourism assets, offerings, and opportunities visit www.kavangozambezi.org and subscribe to our YouTube page, @kazatfca3870.
