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Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has embarked on an aggressive drive to boost tourist arrivals into the country and receipts from business.The authority’s acting head of corporate affairs Prudence Mukandatsama yesterday said tireless efforts had been made in engaging the local and foreign business community as part of boosting business tourism.

“Tireless efforts by ZTA to engage the local, regional and international corporates to boost arrivals and receipts from business travellers have seen senior executives at various forums being educated on the potential and importance of business tourism,” said Mukandatsama.

She said the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions Exhibitions (MICE) experts were expected to host two presentations at this year’s Zimbabwe International Trade Fair so as to educate corporates on business tourism.

This year’s trade fair runs from April 28 to May 2 at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo.

“The first workshop will be facilitated by an internationally acclaimed incentive expert Joost DeMeyer, chairman and chief executive officer of First Incentive Travel Company from the United States.

“It’ll be held on April 28 at the ZITF VIP Lounge. His presentation will be mainly based on “Improving productivity through Incentive Travel”.

“The second presentation, which will be held on April 29 at ZITF VIP Lounge as well, will focus on the impact of MICE tourism on a broader scale,” she said.

ZTA will facilitate the workshop that would highlight to different sectors of the economy the benefits of MICE.

Meanwhile, ZTA chief executive officer Karikoga Kaseke has urged tourism players who are keen to tap into the Polish market to register for the 2015 A’Sambeni Business Tourism Expo, which runs concurrently with the ZITF.

He advised that the ZTA in partnership with the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company will this year host in total 20 MICE agents from Poland, United States and South Africa.

According to Kaseke, the Polish incentive market is very keen to package Zimbabwe as an incentive travel destination for the fast growing Polish market.

He said the local tourism industry players who have been receiving incentive travellers also confirmed that Poland was a market worth pursuing and nurturing.

A’Sambeni, which is in its second year running since its repositioning into a business tourism-oriented fair, also provides exhibitors with an opportunity to engage various local, regional and international corporates who annually converge for the ZITF.

Kaseke said Zimbabwe would continue to seriously engage international and regional MICE players so as to increase arrivals and receipts from international business tourists into the country.