Zimpapers Logo

Herald Correspondent

AS preparations for the 15th Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo heat up, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is happy with the interest in Zimbabwe by the Japanese market at the Tourism Japan Expo in Tokyo. 

ZTA’s marketing manager responsible for Asia and the Pacific markets, Mr Eniel Senderayi, said the enquiries and interest were impressive, but called for more marketing efforts.

“Tourism Expo Japan offered Destination Zimbabwe the opportunity to gather qualified leads, network as well as witness latest developments and trends within the travel and tourism industry,” he said. 

“As an industry worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, engagements such as these reinforce our Tourism and Recovery Strategy as we continuously aim to place Zimbabwe back on the tourism map.”

The expo, which had two public days instead of three in the past, brought great activity for the Zimbabwe exhibition stand as tour operators, academics and the wider populace, took interest in knowing more about the destination. 

Enquiries were mainly about connectivity, major attractions, language, culinary matters, and the safety and security of Zimbabwe as a tourist destination. 

A broadcast journalist from Voice Japan, Makoto Kawamura, who has visited Zimbabwe several times, was happy to see Zimbabwe participating in the fair.

“What really blew me up by Zimbabwe is its people. I was very impressed with attractions such as Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe and Hwange National Park. 

“Zimbabwe has so many places to visit but what surprised me is how good Zimbabwean people are. They were so polite and generally happy to host visitors,” he said.

The pristine wildlife and nature, wonderful people and culture, were the highlights of his visit and hopes to return.

Meanwhile, the rebranded Tourism Expo Japan officially opened with its organising committee chairperson, Mr Kenichiro Yamanishi, indicating the processes underway regarding the ease of travel post-Covid-19, to enable domestic and international travel. 

Mr Yamanishi expressed his optimism about the sector’s recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Developments are in motion to revive both inbound and outbound tourism demand in Japan,” he said. 

“The tourism expo provides a chance for the tourism industry to regain its vitality.” 

The opening day saw the convergence of the fifth Ministerial Roundtable themed: “Tackling Climate Change in Tourism”. 

Major highlights were on the importance of forging global collaboration to advance climate actions in tourism and finding solutions to co-exist in the post pandemic world. 

One of the key outcomes of the roundtable discussion was the need to establish a Global Tourism Resilience Fund to tackle possible disruptions in tourism. 

Four major tourism organisations; the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), provided policy recommendations during discussions.