Zim exhibits at ITB Asia Dr Karikoga Kaseke
Karikoga Kaseke

Karikoga Kaseke

Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is leading a tourism and travel delegation that will take part in this year’s International Tourism Bourse Asia starting today and ending on Friday.

ITB Asia is a three-day annual business to business trade show and convention for the travel industry and is the meeting platform for international exhibitors from all sectors within the travel-value chain commerce.

ZTA said yesterday that over 800 key decision-making buyers with power and appetite for travel products would connect with 10 300 delegates from over 108 countries and 760 exhibitors.

ZTA chief executive Mr Karikoga Kaseke said this year’s participation at ITB Asia would cement the country’s serious approach in the Asia and Pacific region, which comes after the signing of an MoU with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).

“Travel fairs continue to be a significant and competitive tool for destination marketing and promotion for any serious destination eyeing tourism growth,” he said.

“As Zimbabwe’s tourism sector, exhibiting at prestigious travel shows like ITB Asia is a part of the continued destination promotion efforts and strategies that we are implementing to attract more tourists from Asia and Pacific markets.”

Mr Kaseke also said Asia was an important market for Zimbabwe because of its unprecedented level of growth in outbound travel. Africa has become a destination of choice for countries like India and Thailand because of the novelty offered by its tourist attractions.

Statistics at ZTA show that in the first half of 2016, Zimbabwe received a total of 22 195 tourist arrivals from Asia, a 48 percent increase from 14 999 over the same period last year.

“Africa as a whole received under two million visitors from China’s 120 million outbound tourists in 2015 with Zimbabwe at the bottom of the log in the Sadc region with about 6 000 arrivals,” said Mr Kaseke.

“South Africa led the pack with 133 000 tourists recorded last year followed by Zambia with 65 000. Based on these statistics there is a need for more aggressive destination promotion strategies to increase travel from Asia to Zimbabwe”.

ITB Asia is scheduled to take place at Marina BaySands in Singapore and was organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Private Limited and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau.

The fair will entail about 14 hours of conferences, on-floor seminars and ITB Asia clinics featuring the latest industry trends.

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