Vusumuzi Dube
Simba Jemwa, Business Reporter
LOCAL and foreign exhibitors at the 15th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo which ended in Bulawayo yesterday said they were upbeat about business opportunities generated at the showcase as it exposed them to quality networking and partnership synergies.
First Lady and the patron of tourism in the country Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa officially opened the three-day specialised tourism and travel exhibition on Friday. The exhibition attracted more than 270 exhibitors as well as more than 100 buyers while 10 international media houses were also represented.
Exhibitors were drawn from the hospitality, travel, transport and conservation industry subsectors. It provided stakeholders a platform to engage in productive discussions for the creation of an enabling environment for the growth and development of the mining industry, in particular.
In separate interviews, the exhibitors expressed optimism that the contacts made and thorough follow ups will help them expand business and contribute more towards achieving the Government’s tourism milestone by 2023.
Budget airline FastJet’s chief commercial officer Ms Vivian Ruwuya, said they interacted with several top potential fliers and buyers.
“We had many potential fliers and buyers who came through our stand and we are hopeful that with follow-ups, they will fly with us. We also had very encouraging conversations with tour operators both local and external who are interested in package tours for their clients,” she said.
Mosi-Oa-Tunya Cigars’ chief executive officer Mr Shep Mafundikwa said his company had interacted with quality potential clients compared to previous editions.
“We are satisfied with people who came through our stand and the leads we developed at the expo. We are a new company and exhibiting for the first time but the amount of interest we generated was amazing. Being here can and will make the difference for us as we continue to grow our market share.
“We achieved our aims of taking part in the exhibition,” said Mr Mafundikwa whose company is the sole manufacturer of cigars in the country.
Boutique hotel operator, Sterling Hotels were also happy with the amount of business leads generated at the expo while also taking advantage of the tourism exhibition to promote its new hotel in Bulawayo.
“We are a little surprised at the amount of interest we managed to generate among both buyers and possible clients at the expo. Domestic tourism is on the rise and we now we will have a fair share of the market given the interest and traffic that our stand generated,” said the group of hotels’ spokesperson, Ms Busi Zhou.
From Zambia, Maramba River Lodge manager Mrs Theresa Lermer was charmed by the volume of traffic that came with their stand being part of the Zambia Tourism Agency exhibition.
She said a lot of industry players, both local and foreign, were keen to work with them and develop lasting partnerships for the continued growth of the tourism industry.
Her sentiments were echoed by Ms Suzan Ramodike from Limpopo Tourism who added that African countries especially members of this region should take advantage of synergies built during the expo to grow their tourism sectors.
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