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Nesia Mhaka Herald Correspondent
A high-powered Zimbabwean delegation is in the Osaka Kansai Region of Japan for a tourism fair. The inaugural 2019 Japan Tourism Expo, which kicked off last Friday, will allow the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) to reach out to marketing executives from Asia and the Pacific. The expo, which is running under the theme “Advancing Sustainable Development Goals’’, has been scheduled for four days.

ZTA acting chief executive Mr Givemore Chidzidzi said Japan remained a major source in the Asian market.

“For destination Zimbabwe, this market has great potential and that is the major reason for our participation at the ongoing expo,” he said.

“In 2018, Zimbabwe received a total of 32 000 tourist arrivals from Japan and the figure is expected to increase come the end of 2019.

“There is serious interest to destination Zimbabwe by the Japanese. It’s a market that has always been ready for us, hence the onus is on us to intensify our efforts through identifying other additional activities such as roadshows, familiarisation tours among many others.

“Tourism is indeed a force for all as it is an essential, invaluable part of our lives. Each and every day 12 million passengers board flights, 120 000 flights world over take off for places near and far, new places, people and possibilities are discovered, lives and livelihoods are strengthened. Most importantly, tourism as a sector it is responsible for one in 10 jobs created globally, hence it is a low hanging fruit vital for global development.”

Mr Chidzidzi said the Japan Tourism Expo had attracted 1 500 companies from over 100 countries and is expecting 250 000 total visitors.

He said the opening day of the expo saw the hosting of a ministerial roundtable for tourism ministers from 18 countries to discuss challenges and future prospects of tourism.

This year’s expo, that comes in the middle of preparations for 2020 Summer Olympics to be held in Japan, is expected to create new demand and develop new tourism markets for a wide range of destinations.