Zimbabwe’s flagship tourism trade fair opens in Masvingo next week with exhibitor and buyer registrations already outpacing last year’s figures, the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry announced.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi said 392 companies had registered for the 19th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe Tourism Expo, representing 98 percent of the 400-company target. That figure marks a 14.3 percent increase over the 343 exhibitors who took part last year.
On the buying side, 133 international buyers have confirmed attendance, up 49.4 percent from the 89 recorded in the previous edition. Rwodzi said buyers were travelling from Japan, China, Hong Kong, India, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Britain, South Africa and other African markets, adding that a German delegation had already arrived in the country.
Nine countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Rwanda, Ghana and Indonesia, have registered as expo exhibitors.
The Expo runs from 9 to 12 September at the Gymkhana Events and Conference Centre in Masvingo, forming the centrepiece of a broader World Tourism Month programme that culminates in the UN World Tourism Day celebrations on 27 September.
Rwodzi described the fair as Zimbabwe’s premier tourism trade platform, giving businesses a marketplace to showcase products, access international markets and generate leads. She said Government expected the growing participation numbers to translate into increased investment, employment and revenue across the tourism value chain long after the event closes.
The Minister said Masvingo was chosen to host this year’s celebrations because of its wealth of heritage assets, including the Great Zimbabwe Monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which she said positioned the province as a natural anchor for Government’s heritage-based tourism strategy.
