BUSINESS REPORTER
Zimbabwe says there has been increased interest in the destination by the Japanese market after receiving a number of enquiries at a travel fair organised by the world’s third largest economy.
Zimbabwe participated at Tourism Expo Japan which ended Sunday.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) marketing manager responsible for Asia and the Pacific markets, Eniel Senderayi, said the enquiries and interest is “impressive and emphasised the need to generally increase marketing efforts”.
“Tourism Expo Japan offered Destination Zimbabwe the opportunity to gather qualified leads, network as well as witness latest developments and trends within the travel and tourism industry,” Senderayi said.
“As an industry worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, engagements such as these reinforce our Tourism and Recovery Strategy as we continuously aim to place Zimbabwe back on the tourism map.”
The fair which had two general public days in the past three days brought increased activity onto the Zimbabwe exhibition stand as tour operators, academics and the wider populace took interest in knowing more about the destination.
Senderayi sais enquiries were mainly about connectivity, major attractions, language, cullinary, the safety and security of Zimbabwe as a tourist destination.
A broadcast journalist from a local publication, Voice Japan, Makoto Kawamura, who has visited Zimbabwe several times expressed excitement to see Zimbabwe participating and he reminisced on his experiences in Zimbabwe.
“What really blew my my up by Zimbabwe is it’s people. I was very impressed with attractions such as Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe and Hwange National Park. Zimbabwe has so many places to visit but what surprised me is how good Zimbabwean people are, they were so polite and generally happy to host visitors,” he said.
The pristine wildlife and nature, the wonderful people and culture proved to be the highlights topping the list of most visitors’ memories with the hope of visiting again.
A prestigious travel trade event attended by key tourism players from the world over, Tourism Expo Japan is organised by the Japan Travel and Tourism Association, Japan Association of Travel Agents and Japan National Tourism Organisation.
ZTA was using the fair to lure more visitors to Zimbabwe and also buyers for next month’s travel and tourism fair, Sanganai/Hlanganani.
Sanganai/Hlanganani, which runs from October 13 to 15 in Bulawayo, is returning as an in-person event after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
