The Sunday Mail
Tourism
Charles Mavhunga
THE domain of knowledge ecosystems in tourism branding is instructive to the view that industry players are sensitive to image building, identity construction, positive association and reputation protection.
The sensitivity to knowledge ecosystems in tourism branding represents the performance metrics associated with them, which are critical in the sector.
Researchers in the field of service marketing have coined the terms intangibility, invisibility, inseparability and invariability to describe features of products in the tourism industry.
This implies that tourism products are complex, fluid and unique. To evoke positive customer emotions and image building or identity construction, the knowledge ecosystems of branding must strive to decorate the employees, the physical features such as buildings or landscapes, and service delivery processes. The context of knowledge ecosystems in tourism branding is, therefore, sensitive to variables associated with the branding nature of employees and other stakeholders, the attractiveness of the location or landscape, and the quality of service delivery to establish an image or identity of the industry.
The broad knowledge systems of employee branding are rooted in the need to invoke top level customer experience. Employees are the ambassadors of the tourism industry; they connect the experience of visitors to become emotionally attached to the destination such that the image of the sector becomes largely distinguished.
Employee performance on customer civility creates a sense of ownership that serves to improve the reputation of the destination and decorates the visibility of the service sector to become competitive in the global world. The identity construction of Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls) in Zimbabwe is a trickle-down approach of knowledge systems associated with employee branding to provide world-class service.
The psychological association tourists make after visiting Mosi-oa-Tunya is the radiance of service delivery by employees playing the ambassadorial role of welcoming visitors.
The good news is that Zimbabwean employees are well-branded and highly committed to their jobs. No wonder the image of the country’s tourism destinations is commendable.
The Zimbabwean brand of employees is marked by hard work, supportive experience, education and courtesy. However, there is need for continuous learning to ensure better performance.
In the case of sensitivity to the physical environment or landscape, there are some gaps in city branding. The visibility of tourism destinations is largely defined by knowledge ecosystems associated with the physical environment of the location.
High standards of hygiene in a resort explain why the tourism destination attracts many visitors from around the world.
In the Second Republic, President Mnangagwa dedicated the first day of every month to cleaning the environment. This was highly insightful and visionary, because tourism contributes to the development of our economy. A clean environment is vital for the success of the tourism sector.
Cleaners in the tourism industry are the policymakers in charge of tourism performance directives.
In my opinion, cleaners in the tourism industry must be prioritised and given the recognition they deserve.
The construction of branding standards should prioritise cleaning of the environment as a strategic factor. If the environment of a destination is dirty and poorly decorated, hotels in the five-star category will lose their status.
The environment of the destination must meet global standards in terms of knowledge systems associated with landscape arrangement and value systems.
Cities and towns are the focal points in terms of customer attention. They reflect the palatability of tourism products in the mind of customers.
City cleanliness is, therefore, an expression of the performance of councillors.
Nicknames for cities were developed in recognition of the attractiveness of the destinations. Examples include Paris (the City of Love); Prague (the Golden City); New York (Big Apple); Philadelphia (the City of Brotherly Love); and Jerusalem (the Holy City).
Harare used to be called the Sunshine City during the times of mayors Solomon Tavengwa and Charles Tavengwa, among others, but this scenario changed from the year 2000 onwards, when the politics of the country shifted.
The dirt we currently see in our cities and towns in Zimbabwe is shameful.
The councillors are behaving like opportunists, who are failing to manage the environments.
City cleanliness is next to godliness and this is a factor to consider in the knowledge systems associated with tourism branding.
Charles Mavhunga co-authored textbooks in Business Enterprising Skills and is currently studying for a PhD in Management at Bindura University. He can be contacted at charles.mavhunga@ gmail.com. Cell: +263772989816
