Online Reporter
George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
THE country’s tourism sector closed out its biggest trade expo yet today, with a record 405 exhibitors and 153 buyers descending on Masvingo for the 2026 Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo.
This was a significant improvement from the 340 exhibitors and 89 international buyers recorded at last year’s edition in Mutare.
The event, held at the Gymkhana Events and Conference Centre and officially opened by President Mnangagwa on Wednesday, doubled as a showcase for the Great Zimbabwe Monument World Heritage Site.
It offered a snapshot of what Zimbabwe’s tourism industry has to sell, and fresh evidence, in earnings and visitor counts, that the sector is growing exponentially.
Now rotated annually among Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces under the Second Republic’s decentralisation agenda, the expo was preceded by sports, street, gastronomy and music carnivals in Masvingo.
A refurbished Masvingo Airport received its first Air Zimbabwe aircraft in nearly 20 years as buyers from China, Japan, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere in Africa arrived.
President Mnangagwa said the tourism sector was consolidating its position as a leading contributor to gross domestic product as Zimbabwe targets upper middle-income status by 2030, and pledged Government would continue removing barriers to the sector’s growth.
He said investment in tourism had more than tripled to US$132,3 million in the first half of 2026, up from US$40,2 million in the same period last year.
“It is evident that Zimbabwe is on the rise again and despite the various global realities, the country is consolidating its position as one of the best and must-visit tourist destinations,” President Mnangagwa said.
“Investor confidence remains high, as reflected by tourism investment which rose by 229 percent to US$132,3 million in the first half of this year compared to US$40,2 million in the same period in 2025. Congratulations,” President Mnangagwa said.
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbara Rwodzi said the expo had visibly boosted Masvingo’s economy.
“The move to decentralise Sanganai/Hlanganani to provinces was a masterstroke and dovetails with the philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind,” she said.
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira said the expo had put attractions including the Great Zimbabwe Monument, Lake Kyle Recreational Park, Tugwi-Mukosi Dam and Gonarezhou National Park on the global tourism map.
He also proposed renaming Gymkhana the Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Recreation Centre.
International buyers offered their own praise.
Ms Shaheemah Clarke of Amazing Africa, Cape Town, called the expo an eye-opener, saying she had spent five days visiting Triangle, Gonarezhou National Park and the Great Zimbabwe Monument, and pledged to invite more visitors.
Mr Mohammed Yahiaoui of Omnivista International Limited, Tanzania, and Mr Nauroz Imtiaz of Chhuti Bangladesh Limited said they would carry stories of Zimbabwe home, with Yahiaoui praising Zambezi lager and traditional Chibuku.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority chief executive officer Dr George Manyaya called the expo a resounding success.
He said Masvingo had exceeded expectations for exhibitors and international buyers, who were also touring sites such as Great Zimbabwe and Gonarezhou.
The exposure, he said, would help promote brand Zimbabwe and recruit more people to come and visit Zimbabwe.
“President Mnangagwa, too, was impressed touring the exhibitors’ stands,” he said.
He said next year’s expo will be held in Mashonaland West province.
A tourism awards ceremony on Friday was presided over by Minister Rwodzi, representing First Lady and Tourism Patron Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa.
Masvingo-based Great Zimbabwe University won best exhibition stand.
