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Sikhulekelani Moyo, Business Reporter

THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) will for the first time this year participate at the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia starting today up to Sunday 19 March 2023.

MATTA Fair KL is an annual travel fair and is the biggest travel fair in Malaysia, which is attended by a wide range of visitors.

The fair aims to promote the tourism industry in Malaysia and connect travellers with tour operators, hotels, airlines, and other service providers.

ZTA heard corporate Affairs, Mr Godfrey Koti, said the Zimbabwe delegation is being led by ZTA executive director for international marketing, Jeffreys Manjengwa, who is looking forward to reconnecting with existing contacts and establishing relationships with new trade and media and increasing destination awareness.

“This participation is part of re-engagements and engagement efforts between Zimbabwe and Malaysia leading to attracting investments and new tourism initiatives,” he said.

“The premier travel exhibition provides global exposure and boundless business opportunities for destinations,” said Mr Koti.

“The show attracts more than 100 000 visitors from Malaysia, ASEAN, and the rest of the world. This is certainly another opportunity for the destination to attract new investments and penetrate huge Asian source markets seeking adventure holidays in Africa.”

Mr Koti said there are several inbound and outbound tour operators based in Malaysia seeking business relations with Tourism Boards in Africa to increase their packages across the continent.

“They specialise in leisure travel, business travel, and conferencing business units that provide full-scale travel, and destination management services through experienced travel professionals with vast experience in the hospitality and tourism industry,” he said.

“We’re simply looking at positioning the destination in that market in line with our tourism recovery and growth strategy.”

This year’s Matta Fair is expected to be even bigger and better than the previous years. The fair has shifted to a new location covering 37 000 sqm, setting a new record as the largest international travel fair in the region.

It will also feature over 500 travel and hospitality businesses from all over the world.

-@SikhulekelaniM1