Rick b

THIS THREAD IS ABOUT TOURISM IN ZIMBABWE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN AS A TOURIST AND THOSE THAT WANT TO GO. THERE IS NO NEED TO RUIN IT BY GIVING POINTLESS ANTI MUGABE SPEECHES, SAYING I AM PROMOTING MY OWN BUSINESS (PABLO'S SPECIAL EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NOT ONCE GIVEN IT'S NAME NOR DO I INTEND TO).

I WILL ALSO LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT Sir Ranulph Fiennes CAME OUT AS AN INDEPENDENT TOURIST WITH HIS FAMILY, HIS TRIP WAS NOT PAID FOR BY ANY COMPANY IN ZIMBABWE OR ELSEWHERE.

In June last year Sir Ranulph Fiennes went back to the country he had visited in 2005, this time with his family. He spoke about how he was amazed at the difference in what he saw and experienced with what he had read in the UK press.

He spent time in Mana Pools which is one of the best bush wilderness experiences man can enjoy, as well as spending time in Gueru where a Lion breeding program works. (I won't give names in case I get accused of promoting anyone, obviously any of this information can be found by googling Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Zimbabwe together)

He picked Zimbabwe because it has some of the best game viewing in Africa – the Big Five in three different national parks, no crowds or traffic jams, and the opportunity to go on walking safaris – and because its conservationists, guides, rangers and safari tourism operators need all the help they can get.

The full article is not yet available online, it will be after the next issue of the magasine comes out next month, but you can read a taster of his experiences which were, as most tourist experiences are to Zimbabwe, completely trouble free, safe and with no problems.

Travel Africa article

The economic situation is terrible in Zimbabwe, but safety is not an issue and anyone should feel quite welcome and happy to come to Zimbabwe to see it for themselves. Hopefully people will see that if a famous explorer such as Fiennes is happy to come to Zimbabwe as an independent traveller with his wife and young family, they will see there is a normal tourism sector still operating that is largely unaffected by the economic crisis.

TigerOC

With great respect given the track record of Ranulph Fiennes there is nothing "innocent" about his trip.

If he had not written/been interviewed about it afterwards and merely commented that he he had been to Zim's with his family on holiday I really would believe you. Ranulph has been employed by someone to bolster Zim's sagging tourism. He does nothing for anyone if there isn't a financial reward at the end of it believe me, because that's how he earns his living. A man as prominent as he is, is no "Joe Soap" and will have had special protection to make sure nothing happened and he would have been the first one to ensure that nothing was going to happen.

Pablo

Well said, TigerOC. There is an agenda here.

In the sophistry handbooks, it is known as an argumentum ex auctoritate... i.e., someone important like Fiennes says it's ok to ignore one of the worst tyrannies in the world and just go and enjoy yourself, so it must be ok.

Rick b

Er have you got him mixed up with his cousin Ralph Fiennes?!!!! The actor and brat boy?!!

Ranulph Fiennes is a rich guy, he is an extensive author and comes from a wealthy family. He is one of the biggest charity fund raisers in Britain and is an adventurer who does expeditions purely to raise money for charity!!!
As for protection? From what? The National Parks in Zimbabwe (where he spent all his time with his family) are fenced and the wardens and rangers are very good with stopping poachers never mind anything else. Apart from petty theft in Main Camp Hwange I honestly cannot remember in the last 8 years a violent CRIMINAL (said in caps lest someone bring up the elephant that killed a tourist in hwange two years ago!!!!) incident.

In case you didn't know if you didn't read the article, he did not go to the cities and was talking purely on tourism area's. I think you may have mixed him up with some one else!!

TigerOC

No mistake about who he is we see too much of him on TV here. Like most "prominent personalties" in the UK his favourite "charity" is himself. Why do you think he is so wealthy? He is no philanthropist. My wife attended a seminar held by her company recently where he was paid £10 000 for a half hour motivational talk. Pull the other one.

He is like all the rest of them, he does nothing that doesn't benefit him financially. If he really does go on holiday then it is to somewhere where they can guarantee that he won't be recognised and he is left in peace to enjoy himself.

Campbells

Exactly and well said

The OP here does have an agenda and by CONSTANTLY referring to Zimbabwe as a tourist resort explains that.

I thought the forum rules were that we are not supposed to sell or market in the forum and it is obvious of this members intentions.

As you have pointed out that even Ranulph was not an ordinary Joe soap going to Zimbabwe as a tourist,

HE HAD AN AGENDA

Campbells

I wonder how much he was paid to go to Zimbabwe

Mitzyboy

I dont see that he is marketing his company

Campbells

I didn’t say he is marketing “his company”

He is marketing Zimbabwe as a tourist destination

His company’s business is taking tourists to Zimbabwe

I don’t think it can be any clearer than that

Mitzyboy

He is being positive about Zim as a tourist destination. I do it all the time in Spain, but I have no connection with the Spanish tourist industry

Campbells

Exactly Mitzy

You don’t have a connection to Spain’s tourism

Rick has a company that operates taking tourists to Zimbabwe

You see the connection ?

Mitzyboy

BUT HE IS NOT MARKETING IT!
There is no rule against marketing a country
There is a rule about marketing your company

Now can we get back on subject

Rick b

I ask for perhaps the hundredth time - please show me where I have put the name of my business, given enough information for anyone to find out what it is or it's name or said anything on here that I could directly earn more money from?

I haven't. I have said Zimbabwe is a safe tourist destination. The only thing you have managed to come back with is attacking me as you actually have nothing to dis-prove what I have said as there is nothing.

Pablo

Rick,

Your response to Campbells is disingenuous.

A young Brit decides to move to Zimbabwe. He sets up a tourism-related business. His business will benefit from an increase in tourism. He doesn't need to market his specific company - which anyway is not permitted on general forums.

What is negative for his business is negative news about Zimbabwe, and negative news about southern Africa generally. So he has a vested interest in trying to minimise that negative news.

You appear all over the web, and the message is the same: Zimbabwe is great for holidays, and the ills of Mugabe's regime are not as bad as are made out. And you say this in spite of a vast body of evidence to the contrary from people who are in a far better postion than a young Brit who has emigrated to one of the worst tyrannies in the world.

So your motives are, to say the least, suspect. And your morality as a British person moving to Zimbabwe in the midst of such a tyranny is - to say the least - worthy of question. And yet when these points are raised you bleat to the moderators to have posts removed. Furthermore, though you have moved to a place where censorship is rife, you hypocritically demand that the moderators defend your supposed 'right' to put an 'alternative view'.

Out of all this, what really gets up my nose is that you constantly go running to the mods to have your critics silenced and their posts deleted. I have never, never done that - even though many people have disagreed with me.

So go ahead and spread the 'good news' about Mugabe's Zimbabwe - but please God do NOT demand that your critics' posts be removed, or preface your threads with "This thread may not be criticised" in capital letters - as you have done with this one.

Stop being such a goddam wimp - especially when you are BRAVE enough to go and live in such a tyranny!

Pollyana

Lets put this one to bed guys.