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Herald Reporter

THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority is exhibiting at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) that started yesterday in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

ZTA head corporate affairs Mr Godfrey Koti said they were using the exhibition as an opportunity to create awareness on Destination Zimbabwe.

“We intend to maximise our visibility efforts in this market for the destination through showcasing the country’s tourism and cultural products as well as promote it as a safe tourism investment destination,” said Mr Koti.

Zimbabwe has been experiencing a steady increase in tourist arrivals from the Middle East source markets since 2004.

Mr Koti said they were treating the Middle East market as a “greenfield”, hence their efforts would be largely based on creating awareness and visibility.

“We have, in the past, recorded relatively steady tourist inflows of 3 988 in 2004 and at peak, of 10 077 arrivals in 2009, while the figure dropped significantly due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The growth pre-pandemic had been attributed to promotional campaigns that had been put into effect mostly through participation at various exhibitions including the ATM as well as hosting of media and tour agencies on familiarisation tours,” he said.

Participation at travel fairs like the ATM, market specific road shows and digital marketing are the major promotional tools the ZTA is using after Expo 2020 Dubai, to increase destination visibility in the Middle East source markets.

The ATM is a travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals.

Tourism destinations from the Middle East and around the world showcase a diverse range of accommodation options, breathtaking tourism attractions and new airline routes.

The ATM hosts 150 of the industry’s top buyers through the Hosted Delegate programme.

The programme is an effective way for buyers looking to expand their business in the Middle East through increased access to the right exhibitors.

It is one of the most established travel trade exhibitions within the Middle East and Gulf region. International buyers from the rest of Middle East, part of Asia, the Pacific, Europe and Africa attend this annual tourism showcase.

Zimbabwe is taking advantage of that to show the region that it is a destination of choice from competitors, South Africa, Nigeria, Seychelles, Mauritius, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Kenya and Ethiopia, who are regular exhibitors.

Destination Zimbabwe enjoys direct flights from the Middle East through Emirates Airlines, RwandAir and Qatar Airways.