NEW: Zim eyes Japanese market 

Online Reporter 

THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is participating at this year’s edition of the Tourism Expo Japan, which kicked off on September 22 and will run until September 25.

The travel trade event is attended by key tourism players from around the world.

Tourism Expo Japan is organised by the Japan Travel and Tourism Association, Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) and Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO).

Running under the theme “Taking on the New Era”, the expo offers Zimbabwe an opportunity to market itself as a destination of choice.

“There is need to intensify our marketing efforts through active participation at fairs such as these, as they generate travel interest for our destination, thereby regaining the market share that was lost during the Covid-19 period,” said ZTA chief executive officer Ms Winnie Muchanyuka.

Zimbabwe plans to increase tourist traffic from Japan.

Tourism Expo Japan is one of the leading travel shows on the Asian calendar, which offers both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) networking opportunities, targeting Asia’s leading travel trade and consumer outbound travel operators.

The fair was last held in 2019 and attracted 1 500 companies from over 100 countries, including 250 000 visitors.

A total of 12 countries from the Southern region will exhibit under the SADC banner, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius, Angola and Tanzania.