While attending a Public Relations (PR) Practitioners Conference in Tanzania in May 2022, I was privileged to watch the Tanzania Royal Tour documentary just a week after it was premiered by the country’s president, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The Tanzania Royal Tour documentary is aimed at showcasing the beauty of Tanzania while opening gates for potential foreign investors to come and invest in the country; not only in tourism but other sectors, too. The hour-long documentary features Tanzania’s tourist places of attraction and investment destinations. It also showcases the country’s rich arts and culture. For a week, Suluhu Hassan is the main guide in this documentary anchored by American journalist Peter Greenberg. She takes the journalist through an epic and exploratory tour of Tanzania and Zanzibar— to places like the Unesco world heritage site of Serengeti National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro and many others. It is fascinating to watch the president herself on the wheels, negotiating the terrain, with Greenberg as passenger. During the tour, she narrates some untold stories about tourism in Tanzania. The stories are spiced by her personal experiences about the country. For instance, stories about the rich Maasai culture and the discovery of Tanzanite— the precious mineral only found in Tanzania— are quite captivating.
The documentary is among the recovery strategies that the Tanzania government is using to amplify the country’s tourism industry after it was heavily hit by the Covid pandemic. And it appears the strategy is paying off, thanks to the aggressive effort by the president.
As Malawi is, this September, observing National Tourism Month, this must-watch Tanzania Royal Tour documentary could, therefore, offer some lessons on how Malawi’s tourism could be promoted. Malawi could also borrow a leaf from Tanzania on how leadership could help in amplifying untold stories in the tourism sector. At this point, it is only appropriate to commend Minister of Tourism Vera Kamtukule for her tremendous effort in promoting the sector. She has demonstrated that, with political will, tourism could be taken to greater heights.
However, our efforts in promoting tourism could be futile if there are conflicts. If not resolved on time, conflicts – no matter how petty they might be— could escalate to levels that could hamper tourism or even scare away foreign investors.
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Of course, in any society, conflicts are unavoidable. It is, however, not the absence of conflicts that makes a society vibrant. It is how leadership manages such conflicts— be it in corporate, political or in any sector.
Conflicts are not conducive to the promotion of tourism. Tourism thrives in an environment where there is harmony. But whenever conflict arises, good PR strategies could help in resolving them. PR brings harmony by enhancing mutual relationships.
Some doubters may, however, not see the PR function as suitable to be incorporated in the dominant coalition-policy making body in an entity, but evidence abounds that the ‘omnipresence’ of PR in a variety of institutions— be it in the corporate world, ministries, departments and agencies and others— has the ability to help resolve conflicts.
However, PR managers should have some fundamental attributes to help them in preventing or resolving conflicts. First, in the dynamic field of modern PR, staying up-to-date with the latest developments is crucial for success. It entails understanding the evolving media landscape. With the growth of digital platforms, social media influencers and online reputation management, PR practitioners must navigate an increasingly complex terrain. They must be well-versed in using modern tools and technologies to effectively engage with the public. Additionally, staying informed about emerging trends allows PR managers to anticipate potential conflicts and take pre-emptive measures to protect the reputation of their organisations. This entails regularly monitoring news, social media and industry publications to identify shifts in public opinion, consumer behaviour and communication channels. This attribute is essential for practitioners to remain agile, responsive and strategic in their efforts to build and maintain a positive public image.
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Furthermore, agenda setting and media framing are important. That is to say, the way media frames the conflict will also depend on how you, as a PR practitioner, presents it.
Mediation skills are also necessary for PR practitioners. They should be able to advise management, especially leadership, to always be rational, impartial and thoughtful during a conflict. Stick to facts. There is no need to be offensive and disrespectful as this will only tarnish the image and reputation of an entity. It is not a popularity contest, after all. It is, therefore, advisable for leadership to delegate PR functions to PR managers.
Finally, there are some PR strategies such as collaboration and avoidance that could be used in conflict resolution. In collaboration strategy, both parties use constructive dialogue to achieve a win-win situation. Avoidance is applicable to situations where there is neither a winner nor loser. Some conflicts are trivial. Better avoid them in the interest of the public.
The bottom line is that, as author of The Art of War Sun Tzu puts it: “Sometimes we need to lose small battles in order to win the war.” In conflicts, be prepared to concede to small losses in the short term for the sake of harmony. ‘Tiziyamba ndife Amalawi-# Ipatse Moto’.
