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Business Reporter
INTERNATIONAL buyers have started arriving in the country ahead of this year’s edition of Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel and Tourism Expo to be held in Bulawayo next week.

The tourism fair will be held from 6 to 8 September 2018 at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) Exhibition Centre. Event organisers, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), said the first group of buyers arrived in the country from Germany, France, Italy and the Benelux and are scheduled for various pre-Sanganai tours across the country.

“The buyers are expected to sample and appreciate the country’s tourism product that will aid informed packaging across markets. The tours will proffer Zimbabwe’s tourism hotspots of Mana pools, Bumi Hills, Kariba, Eastern Highlands, Gonarezhou, Masvingo, Victoria Falls, Hwange, Binga, Matopos and Bulawayo,” said ZTA.

The tourism body anticipates that the buyers will engage in business exchanges and networking with the country’s tourism industry during the two-day trade and tourism expo.

“The buyers’ arrival is a clear sign of the confidence that the International market has on destination Zimbabwe especially with the rejuvenated interest that has been exhibited since November 2017. It is such an exciting time for the Zimbabwe tourism sector to leverage on this goodwill with the major thrust of regaining the lost market share and increasing tourism traffic to Zimbabwe,” said ZTA.

The tourism body said it would be receiving more groups of buyers as well as media from North America, Africa, Asia and Europe.

It is hoped that 240 buyers and 15 media across markets shall converge at the ZITF grounds for this year’s Sanganai.

Sanganai/Hlanganani is a business to business exposition that presents networking opportunities between buyers, exhibitors and the travel trade. To date, 288 exhibitors and 21 countries have registered for participation.

On Sunday, ZTA chief executive officer Dr Karikoga Kaseke highlighted that preparations for this year’s edition of the tourism fair were at an advanced stage.

The Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo is open to players in various sectors such as tourism boards, embassies, airlines, tour operators and agents, hotels and lodges, transport operators, government ministries and investors.

It highlights the widest variety of Africa’s best tourism products and services, attracting international visitors and media from across the world.

The fair is the successor of Shanyai/Vakatshani, the Zimbabwe International Travel Expo (ZITE) that was held annually at the Harare International Conference Centre.

ZITE started as a small expo in 1982 and grew over the years to become one of Africa’s leading tourism showcases by 2007.