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With keen interest to reposition itself as a must visit tourism destination in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe is part of 185 countries participating at this years International Tourism Bourse (ITB), starting today in Germany.
The country is being represented by the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry together with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) at the world tourism fair.
A total of 18 players from Zimbabwe’s tourism industry will be showcasing their products and services at the ITB which is scheduled to end on 9 March.
Zimbabwe’s tourism industry has embarked on robust tourism recovery strategies with the aim of regaining the lost market share in varied source markets following the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
These strategies include intensified market representation, trade development, media relations, destination campaigns, advertising, events marketing and digital marketing.
“This has seen the Minister, Mangaliso Ndhlovu and his team re-engaging with international investors, the travel trade, media and the diplomatic community with a view of presenting the rebirth of Zimbabwe and the vision for a brilliant economy characterized by transparency and progressive ease of doing business,” said ZTA Chief Executive Winnie Muchanyuka through a statement Monday.
Chanyuka reiterated the need for Zimbabwe to take advantage of the foundation laid by central government to aggressively market the destination in source markets to achieve further growth following recent positive developments in the destination.
“With the positive developments experienced in the tourism sector of late, there has never been an opportune time for Zimbabwe to reposition itself than this. It is encouraging to note that the international market is rejuvenated, ready to travel, and has renewed interest in destination Zimbabwe,” she said.
Chanyuka urged players in the industry to up their game in terms of service delivery to bring back Zimbabwe’s erstwhile reputation in the sector after lauding their tireless efforts to market the destination.
“We’re grateful to the industry for working tirelessly to reposition the destination as a must visit. There is, however, a need for a concerted bid to continuously improve our service delivery as we seek to reclaim our glory of yesteryears,” she said.
Germany is ranked as the second highest generator of arrivals from Europe into Zimbabwe after the United Kingdom, contributing 23 980 arrivals recorded in 2022, compared to 37 984 arrivals attained in the pre- pandemic era in 2019.
The ITB is the world’s largest travel show and remains the leading global meeting place attracting the participation of more than 900 qualified top buyers, 10 000 exhibitors, 23 000 convention visitors and more than 165 000 private and public visitors which makes it a significant platform for Zimbabwe to advance its presence.
Among the participating players are Rainbow Tourism Group, Cresta Hospitality, Wild Horizons, Victoria Falls Hotel, Zimbabwe Parks Management and Wildlife Authority and the Airports Company of Zimbabwe. Nhau/Indaba
