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Post Correspondent
A DELEGATION of 10 Sanganai/Hlanganani international tourism buyers who visited the Eastern Highlands last weekend was left awestruck by the unique tourism attractions and natural wonders that the region offers.
The international buyers comprised mostly of tour operators and travel agencies from Germany, United States of America, India, South Africa and Tanzania.
They toured the Eastern Highlands from Friday to Sunday as a pre-tour of the 15th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo that kicked off yesterday (Thursday) at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo.
The expo is running until tomorrow (Saturday).
The Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo is an annual event organized by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) which has over the years grown to become one of Africa’s premier tourism business exchange forums.
It showcases the widest variety of Africa’s best tourism products and attracts international visitors and the media from across the world.
The international buyers described the Eastern Highlands as a sleeping tourism giant with great potential.
Throughout the weekend, they toured various tourist attractions and had site inspections of hotels and lodges in Nyanga, Mutasa, Mutare and Vumba, which are the prime tourism destinations in the Eastern Highlands.
The first port of call was Nyanga District where they visited Nyanga National Park and hiked Nyanga Mountain, which is Zimbabwe’s highest mountain, reaching a peak of 2,592m.
They also visited Nyangombe Falls in Nyanga and Mtarazi Falls in Mutasa District.
At 772 metres, Mtarazi Falls is the highest waterfalls in Zimbabwe, the second highest in Africa and the 17th highest in the world.
Some daring buyers tried out the skywalk and zip-line activities over the scenic Pungwe Gorge at Mtarazi Falls.
On Saturday, the delegation visited the National Art Gallery of Manicaland and Mutare Museum before going for more relaxing outdoor activities at Lake Alexander in Mutasa.
They also had speed boat rides at Small Bridge Dam and Lake Alexander.
Afterwards, they had an African barbecue experience at Lake Alexander Country Resort, a new luxury resort overlooking the lake which is expected to be officially opened soon.
On Sunday, the international buyers went to the scenic Vumba Resort area.
They inspected some of the lodges and hotels in the mountainous area known for hiking, mountain biking, bird-watching and scenic drives.
They also enjoyed a close contact game viewing experience of ostriches, zebras and giraffes, among many other animals in Vumba.
The delegation then left for Masvingo on Monday, in transit to Bulawayo for the expo.
Ms Gulzar Sayed of Regency Travel in India who was visiting Africa for the first time was dazzled by Zimbabwe’s warm hospitality.
“I loved the warm hospitality and noticed that there is a good road infrastructure connecting most of the tourism attractions. As Indian tourism promoters, we are
looking for some niche products for our clients and the Eastern Highlands will definitely be a good product to sell to our clients,” she said.
Mr Joshua Smith, the founder of Global Citizen Journeys Travel Agency from the United States of America described the hiking and zip line at Mtarazi Falls as a unique experience.
“I was amazed at the amount of adventure and authenticity that you find in the Eastern Highlands. The hiking and zip lining experience was so great. Personally, I would like to invest in some of the destinations here and will strongly recommend international tourists who love hiking to visit this region,” said Mr Smith.
Mr Rolf Merz of Get Up Tours from Germany applauded the pre-tour opportunities for international travel agencies.
“This is a very great initiative for us to learn first-hand about the unique destinations that Zimbabwe has to offer. I loved the scenery here as it is very relaxing and the tourism experience is different, which is what international
tourists often want,” he said.
Mr Petersen Mahlangu of Petersen African Safaris in South Africa said the Eastern Highlands is an untapped tourism gem.
“My visit to the Eastern Highlands was one of the best experiences I have had in Zimbabwe. I have been to Victoria Falls, Kariba and other places, but the Eastern Highlands is the true gem for Zimbabwe,” said Mr Mahlangu.
ZTA Eastern Region area manager, Ms Ropafadzo Dunira said the Sanganai/Hlanganani pre-tours are important to market little known destinations.
“This year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo comes at a time when our tourism is recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. The thrust is to showcase to
international tourism buyers that we are a safe tourism destination and ready to receive visitors.
“We are taking buyers on tour to meet with service providers and show them our products and services, including the upcoming facilities in the region. Buyers were impressed with the Eastern Highlands and we are happy to continue working with local tourism operators to boost our tourism sector,” she said.
The 2020 and 2021 editions of the tourism expo were held virtually due to the global Covid-19 pandemic that saw many countries enforcing travel bans to combat the pandemic.
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