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Mr Givemore Chidzidzi

Thandiwe Katinhimure, Business Reporter
A DELEGATION from the Zimbabwe tourism sector is in Spain attending the 38th edition of the global tourism fair in Madrid.

The tourism fair, dubbed the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) begins today and ends on Sunday.

In a statement, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) chief operating officer Mr Givemore Chidzidzi said the delegation was led by Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Mrs Prisca Mupfumira.

The delegation comprises officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, ZTA and players in the tourism sector.

Mr Chidzidzi said they were joining other global travel tourism players at the Fitur marking Zimbabwe’s 10th participation at the fair.

ZTA chief executive Karikoga Kaseke was quoted saying participation at FITUR will help the authority to push forward the tourism agenda to the Spanish market and to the rest of the world.

Mr Kaseke said the platform would also present an opportunity to engage various United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) member states to rally behind Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe is seeking to regain the lost market in tourism development.

Minister Prisca Mupfumira

“We are going with the Minister (Mupfumira) and we hope the Minister will take the opportunity to answer questions that are normally asked by major tourism players around the globe.

“They want to know what the new political dispensation is offering to the tourism sector among other things,” he was quoted as saying.

Tourism operators also believe that it is critical for Zimbabwe as a tourist destination to leverage on opportunities like FITUR given the positive developments brought about by the new political dispensation.

FITUR is the leading trade fair in Spain and number three in the world after Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) in Berlin and World Travel Mart in London.

FITUR is the place where the globe converges to map out the future of tourism in the world as the UNWTO headquarters is based in Madrid.

Last year, FITUR attracted a record 9 893 exhibiting companies from 165 countries or regions, more than 135 858 trade participants and 107 213 public visitations.