adminLenox Mhlanga Business Correspondent
THE Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo will be held this month in Bulawayo as originally scheduled, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority acting chief executive officer, Givemore Chidzidzi has said. There have been concerns that the organisers were facing funding challenges that threatened the hosting of the June 16 to 18 event.
“Indeed at some point the authority was contemplating to postpone the event, if not cancelling it indefinitely, but gladly our continued engagement efforts with the government, through the Ministry of Finance, has yielded positive results,” said Chidzidzi on Friday.
An estimated $1 million is required to support the prestigious tourism event including input from tourism players and other stakeholders in cash and kind. Chidzidzi said the annual event, which would be hosted by Zimbabwe’s second largest city after a directive from Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa last year, has been largely funded by the government since 2008 when it was adopted as a national event.
“We’re happy that as anticipated, they’ve just assured us funding for this year’s edition and soon disbursements will be done. This is indeed good news to us and the entire tourism sector including our partners and those seeking to conduct business during the expo,” Chidzidzi said.
To date, 163 companies have registered to participate as exhibitors, an increase from last year’s edition that had 128 companies. “The exhibitors are in various categories such as accommodation, tour operations, airlines, publicity associations, NGOs and Government institutions among others. So far, we’ve 28 foreign exhibitors from countries such as Botswana, SA, Uganda, Kenya, India and Indonesia,” Chidzidzi said.
“In terms of buyers, 128 from the international community have confirmed. These are mainly from Europe notably UK, Spain and Germany, while others will come from markets in the Americas, China, Asia and Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. The first group of buyers is expected to jet in on June 6.
“As has become a tradition during Sanganai/Hlanganani, corps from international media will be hosted to give them a platform to write the Zimbabwean story from a well-informed point of view. So we’ve a total of 19 international journalists from countries such as Nigeria, SA, USA, the UK and Spain,” he added.
ZTA said it was working with the local media saying the sector was a critical partner in tourism development and promotion. “It remains our fervent hope that the expo will deliver considerable benefits to the exhibitors and buyers as well as the host city. We’re convinced that Sanganai/Hlanganani has become an essential stimulus to business growth both at sectorial and national levels,” said Chidzidzi.
Pessimists had feared that the move to Bulawayo would result in lower turnout because of the costs involved with stakeholders such as the Zimbabwe Tourism Council pushing that the expo returns to Harare.
Chidzidzi, however, dismissed such fears saying tourism expos elsewhere took advantage of the tourism products where they were being staged and moved from city to city. He added that the rich historical and cultural heritage of Bulawayo made it a suitable venue where guests would experience its famed hospitality.
In this regard, the ZTA was working with entities that engaged in township tourism with the view of showcasing Bulawayo’s unique culture. Chidzidzi paid tribute to the local organising committee based in Bulawayo.
“They’ve been investing a lot of efforts to make sure that the ground is even for the hosting of a successful event. The good thing is we hadn’t abandoned tools in the wake of financial challenges for the preparation of this event. Instead we had remained positive, resolute, focused and confident that resources would be availed,” he said.
There will be a number of workshops that will take place during the expo and these include an incentive workshop, one for youth in tourism and another focusing on the role of ICTs in the industry.
derick.khumalo