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Former President, Robert Mugabe died aged 95 in Singapore on Friday last week.  

His body was flown home on Wednesday to a deserved; roaring welcome by a people he liberated and led with distinction. Needless to say, Cde Mugabe is the quintessential patriot; African icons don’t come any bigger. 

In death as in life, he has dominated headlines at home and abroad since his departure to a higher calling. To, therefore, say that the biggest news on earth over the past eight days has been Cde Mugabe is not an overstatement.  

As global attention remains fixated on Zimbabwe, on Cde Mugabe rather, a fair which is normally expected to drive the national news agenda at this time of the year appears to have passed largely unnoticed. The Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo started in Bulawayo on Thursday, ending today.

Organisers of the exposition, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) had by Thursday  hosted 170 buyers including 25 international media. In terms of exhibitors, there were 290 exhibitors with more interested participants still inquiring to set up their stands. Acting Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Kirsty Coventry, who is also the Minister of Sport, Arts and Recreation, was expected to officially open this year’s edition of the tourism fair last night.

The tourism and hospitality industry is one of the key contributors to national economic growth. It employs tens of thousands. According to World Travel and Tourism Council, while the direct contribution of travel and tourism to the national gross domestic product (GDP) was 3,5 percent, the total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP — including wider effects from investment, the supply chain and induced income impacts — was over 8 percent in 2016 and 2017. The sector’s contribution to the economy has grown, according to the Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe (TBCZ) since the second half of 2017. 

About 2,6 million international tourist arrivals were recorded in 2018, six percent up from 2,4 million received in 2017. They spent $1,050 billion last year, a seven percent growth from $917 million in 2017.

TBCZ chief executive officer, Mr Paul Matamisa, said the Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo has been instrumental in spurring tourist arrivals growth in Zimbabwe among other promotional activities.

“While one cannot attribute the growth in Zimbabwe’s tourist arrivals to one event, we expect a minimum growth of at least a minimum of 10 percent on arrivals from the previous year,” he said. 

“And Sanganai/Hlanganani, as you know, is one of our major showcasing windows. It also adds up to all those efforts the country is making to increase tourist arrivals.”

We take the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo as an essential platform to market the country and its tourism and hospitality industry. Like the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and the Harare Agricultural Show, the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo brings global attention on the country, more specifically on the travel industry.  

The turnout of exhibitors, buyers and travel writers at this year’s edition of the exposition was pleasing. As they return to their bases after today, we urge all of them to become ambassadors of the country through marketing the tourism products available countrywide.  We, too, implore them to correct any negative perceptions about the country wherever they exist. They experienced conditions prevailing in the country over the past few weeks of their stay in the country. Foreign tourism buyers and writers arrived in the country a few weeks ago and were taken on guided tours of attractions such as Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe Monument and Hwange National Park, thus have gained a more accurate, on-the-ground appreciation of the peace that is prevailing across the country and the outstanding tourism products on offer. They, therefore, are in a great position to be able to play the ambassadorial role we expect from them.

This year’s edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo builds upon the progress that has been recorded since the second half of 2017. From then on, tourism arrivals started picking up, according to ZTA and the TBCZ.  

The international perception of the destination has been improving too, thanks to President Mnangagwa’s engagement and re-engagement policy targeted at Europe and America which happens to be the two biggest source markets for tourists to our country.  

Visitors to our country who are participating at Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo and millions of potential visitors need to know that ours is a country at peace with itself and with the world, not a lawless, conflict-ridden nation some in the West previously thought it was. It is a country where the rule of law prevails. Above all, Zimbabwe is blessed with an unparalleled tourism products anchored by the mighty Victoria Falls, the Big Five and a happy people.