Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (Retosa) has urged local tourism operators to fully grasp technology if they are to reduce advertising costs.
Retosa is a Southern African Development Community (Sadc) institution responsible for tourism growth and development and pushes for increased tourist arrivals in the region through sustainable development initiatives, improved regional competitiveness and effective destination marketing.
Speaking in an interview in Lilongwe on the sidelines of a Digital Marketing Workshop on Monday, Retosa marketing and communication director Kwakye Donkor said tour operators in Malawi and Sadc in general need to change their attitude towards technology because globalisation is taking its toll on everything.
He said: “Despite challenges in Internet availability in most African countries, tour operators must not lag behind in appreciating technology because that is the easiest way to reach out to the whole world.”
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism Principal Secretary Cliff Chiunda said time has come for Malawi to embrace technology in the tourism sector.
“The ever increasing technological advances in the aviation and communication sectors have shrunk the distance and time between tourist destinations and markets.
“The growing use of information technology through relatively cheaper devices that have Internet have helped tourism markets to shift from traditional markets to the virtual market place,” he said.
Malawi Tourism Council chairperson Florentine Kabefu said Malawi should reposition itself to be among the best tourist destinations in Africa.
