Land Rover Experience could promote cross-border tourism
Chakalisa Dube | Friday November 15, 2019 11:41
The CEO said this can help the KAZA region improve its tourism product offerings.
Rogge was speaking after the Botswana leg of the 2019 edition of the KAZA Land Rover Experience on Tuesday.
The 2019 Land Rover Experience expedition is being implemented in partnership between Land Rover Germany and the KAZA Secretariat, with strong support from KAZA’s five partner States – Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The expedition has been running for years.
The initiative was amongst others established to demonstrate the extreme durability of Land Rovers through challenging off-road adventures.
Rogge has also been operating various tourism activities in Botswana and Namibia and now expanding into Zambia and Zimbabwe.
“Many tourists are beginning to show interest in exploring some parts of the KAZA region through driving expeditions using roads that are not normally used.
Off-road adventures that resemble the Land Rover Experience and the discovery of foreign cultures can help the KAZA region to improve its tourism product offerings.
That is why I believe they have to be strongly marketed. Exploring routes not normally taken provides an adventurous feeling to tourists,” he said.
He noted that off-road adventures could also be financially rewarding to tourism stakeholders in the KAZA region, which is why they need to be encouraged. Currently most of the tourists who visit the KAZA region do so to marvel at wild animals.
Rogge attributed the growing interest in exploring some parts of KAZA by using less used roads to the growing popularity of the Land Rover Experience.
He said some of those who have taken part in the event in recent years have done well to market off-road adventures (in Africa and globally) as a significant form of tourism that can be explored in the KAZA region.
Rogge added during the interview, “ At the moment we have some packages we are working on for European tourists particularly from Germany.
We want to assist the said tourists to explore Botswana by road most particularly from the Chobe National Park to Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls.
Most notably they will be exploring using new or less popular roads as way of improving product offerings in the KAZA region.”
Rogge further stated that as a way of improving tourism product offerings in the KAZA region they are planning to launch a travel programmes in which tourists will travel from Rundu in Namibia to the Chobe National Park using less traversed and unique roads.
“ We are also thinking of having a travel programme where people will start their journey from Maun then explore other areas within the KAZA region before they go back to Maun to conclude their journey,” he said.
He highlighted that his organisation will work with relevant stakeholders in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe to effectively launch the aforementioned initiatives, which he said would be launched soon. Tafa Tafa, Executive Manager, Investment & Product Development at Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) who was the guest speaker at the event acknowledged that it is vital for stakeholders in the tourism industry within the KAZA area to constantly introspect and find ways that they enhance their product offerings and the industry as a whole.
“ Most notably it is through hosting events such as the Land Rover Experience that we get an opportunity to share experiences that enables us to come with ideas we can utilise to effectively enhance the tourism industry in the region,” he said during his address.
The Land Rover Experience is also one of the activities that are used to strengthen collaboration between KAZA partner states and their respective tourism authorities as well as positioning KAZA as a leading nature, cultural heritage, adventure and ‘off-the-beaten track’ tourism destination in Africa.