The Vumba Tourist Aid Mobile Application

Abstract

The Vumba region of the Mutare District, Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, has been experiencing problems with disjointed and unavailable information regarding local attraction sites, accommodation and cultural sites in the region. The research seeks to create and test the Vumba Tourist Aid (VTA) mobile application as a digital tool in assisting tourists in planning trips and travelling. The research takes a mixed-methods research approach, involving quantitative survey and qualitative feedback that was used to evaluate user experience and effectiveness. The study sample included both domestic and international tourists who visit the Vumba region and a sample size of 120 was used which was selected using convenience sampling. A structured measure parameters like ease of navigation, information accessibility, user satisfaction and general effect on travelling experience. Results show that 82% of the interviewees found geo[1]navigation very helpful, 76% were interested in background information in their native language. The majority of the interviewees said they had a more interactive and fulfilling tourist experience using geo-navigation than under the guidance of conventional tourism guides. The findings show that the VTA app can be an invaluable tool in marketing tourism, improving tourist satisfaction and, perhaps, driving tourist attraction to Mutare. The research suggests to add the local business data and updates in real time to enhance the utility of the app even more.