Leisure travel patterns of Zimbabwe's urban population and their predictors

Abstract

This study sought to measure the current leisure travel propensity of Zimbabwe's urban residents. The study was prompted by the limited information regarding domestic tourism worldwide and particularly in developing countries despite efforts by some of these countries such as Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Rwanda to promote domestic tourism. There is therefore a need to provide updated information on domestic leisure travel patterns and their predictors. This may enhance the development of more appropriate domestic tourism strategies for the countries from which domestic tour packages and marketing strategies can be designed to stimulate this market. The data for this study were collected from a survey of 600 urban dwellers from the country's five major urban areas, namely Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Mutare, and Masvingo. A comprehensive self-administered questionnaire was employed to collect the relevant data on leisure travel patterns and willingness to travel for leisure. Cross tabulations, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression analysis, using STATA version 11.0, were used to assess the association between the variables. A number of intriguing and interesting revelations were noted in this study. The key recommendation emanating from this study is the need for Zimbabwe and other developing countries to urgently establish agencies that conduct surveys on domestic tourism. Furthermore, due to the common dilemma of underfunding in these countries, institutions of higher learning, especially those universities offering tourism studies, could undertake these surveys using their research grants.