The recently concluded Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, an annual tourism trade fair organized by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, saw a large number of exhibitors from the travel, tourism and hospitality industry gather in Bulawayo at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre between 12 – 14 September, 2019.
The Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo showcases the widest variety of Africa’s best tourism products and attracts international visitors and media from across the world. The expo has become a permanent feature on Zimbabwe’s tourism calendar.
The event also plays an important role in promoting Zimbabwe’s tourism industry by showcasing the various tourist attractions and the world-class tourism infrastructure that the country has painstakingly built over the years.
Over the years, Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo has become a premier tourism expo held in Zimbabwe each year and has attracted exhibitors, buyers, investors and media persons from the local, regional and international markets.
Talking to Holiday Guide magazine, Kirsty Coventry, the acting Minister of Tourism said: ““Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo has been a good platform for us to showcase our country’s tourism industry and attract more tourists to Zimbabwe and we hope that this year too, the event is going to make a positive impact on our tourism industry like it always has.”
Growth in arrivals
During a press conference held on the sidelines of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, Givemore Chidzidzi, acting CEO for Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, confirmed the growth in the number of international tourist arrivals to Zimbabwe – recording a total of 2.6 million international tourist arrivals in 2018, up six per cent from the 2.4 million arrivals in 2017.
Zimbabwe aims to increase its incoming tourist arrivals to 5 million by 2020. However, the economic hardships faced by the country has crippled the Tourism ministry to undertake marketing initiatives due to lack of funds. “At Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo we hosted a team of media persons from all across the world in order to spread the word about our country’s excellent tourism attractions and world-class tourism infrastructure in a bid to tap into new and emerging markets like the Middle East and Asia,” said Godfrey Koti, head of Corporate Affairs at Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. “With air improved connectivity, we are hoping to see a a substantial increase in tourist arrivals from various parts of the world,” he said.
Business and leisure travellers across the world are searching for new meetings and conference options as traditional venues in Europe become more expensive and hard to reach. Against this backdrop, exotic new destinations such as Zimbabwe are gaining increasing popularity due to its modern tourism infrastructure, relatively low costs and ease of travel. As a result, Zimbabwe is becoming a popular destination for the leisure and conference markets in the Southern Africa region and has been able to earn a substantial amount of much needed tourism dollars for its ailing economy.
Improved air connectivity as well as targeted marketing campaigns aimed at new and emerging tourist markets like the Middle East and Asia have yielded good results for Zimbabwe’s tourism industry.
Airport Upgrade
The newly refurbished Victoria Falls Airport has also undergone a total revamp and has emerged as Zimbabwe’s second international airport after Harare. The Victoria Falls Airport was upgraded by China Jiangsu International and has seen a significant increase in its passenger handling capacity which has grown from 500,000 per year to 2 million per year.
Regional Market
Tourists from the regional Southern Africa region form a major portion of tourist arrivals in to Zimbabwe – with South African visitors leading the brigade. But it’s not only South Africans who are realising the value of Zimbabwe as an attractive tourist destination in the Southerrn Africa region. Arrivals from Angola and Zambia account for significant portion of incoming tourists into Zimbabwe, whilst visitor figures from Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom have also seen a gradual increase in the last two years.
Corporate Travel
Recent reports confirm that the incoming flights of RwandAir, Emirates and Ethiopia Airlines have been ferrying visitors to the Zimbabwe from different parts of the world. Givemore Chidzidzi pointed to an upsurge in corporate travel from SADC, but agreed that there is still room for improvement and further growth. “It is important to inform the regional and international consumers of what Zimbabwe has to offer through tourism campaigns and incentives. We have been using various communication tools and media campaigns to highlight Zimbabwe’s tourist attractions and the results are now beginning to show – which are positive signs for Zimbabwe’s growing tourism sector.”
B2B Networking
Special sessions of Speed Networking were conducted during the two-day Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo where buyers and sellers were able to negotiate business face-to-face and form longterm business alliances. “The B2B Speed Networking was specially helpful in establishing direct B2B contacts with industry professionals from the local, regional and international markets,” said Mevis Guedes, brand manager for Zimbabwe-based Rainbow Tourism Group. “It helped us reach industry leaders from various parts of the world and form new business alliances,” added Mevis.
Exhibitors, buyers and media delegates were also treated to a glittering Awards Ceremony held at the Zimbabwe Exhibition Centre. Ethiopian Airlines won the Best Airline Stand Award ahead of the national carrier of Zimbabwe, Air Zimbabwe.
Among those who participated at the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo were prominent National Tourism Boards, Embassies, Airlines, Tourism Destinations, Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Hotels, Car Hire companies, Transport Providers, suppliers of goods and services to the tourism industry, Investors, Government Ministries, Parastatals as well as local and international media persons.
Despite its varied natural attractions, Africa still only attracts 4.2% of the world’s tourists or approximately 60-65 million tourists per year. However, according to recent studies, this figure is expected to more than double to 150 million by 2030.
Holiday Guide magazine was part of the international media delegation that attended the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo.
