Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo courts world attention

Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo courts world attention

Hosia Mviringi

The 15th edition of the Sanganai/Hlanganani Travel Expo, which runs between 13-15 October 2022 at the Zimbabwe Trade Fair Centre in Bulawayo has attracted the interest of international buyers who continue to make a beeline for space at the fair.

Such is the interest that one Mr Yunsak Jin, a leading South Korean tour operator confirmed that they had booked a pre tour of the Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park, Bulawayo and Harare.

Speaking to this writer, Mr Jin revealed his excitement with the diverse attractions that Zimbabwe had to offer. He said that he was hopeful that he will be able to explore the Expo and sell Zimbabwe’s tourism products in his home country and Asia at large.

“We are attending Sanganai/Hlanganani as buyers and looking forward to meeting the rest of the world at this tourism exchange. Before 2019, as a company we used to bring about 3000 South Korean tourists into the country and we hope to continue after this year’s edition of the expo. We want to enhance our knowledge and experience about destinations we have since booked to take part in a pre-tour that covers Bulawayo, Masvingo, the Eastern Highlands and Harare,” he said.

With a footprint in Cape Town South Africa, Mr Jin confirmed that his company controls 80 per cent of the market share of operators that bring tourists to Africa.

Curious and excited about renewed travel prospects in Zimbabwe as a destination post Covid-19, Ms Kirsten Lebreux, who works with an operator that specialises in custom tours right around the world said that she was looking forward to see what the country has to offer for tourists.

“Zimbabwe is one of my favourite places in the world and I am so excited at the opportunity to be at the Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo to reconnect with old friends and industry partners. I want to be able to pick as much information as possible and share it with friends and industry colleagues back at home,” said Lebreux.

From October 13 to 15, 2022, tourism journalists and buyers comprising international travel agents and travel trade partners will be taken on familiarisation tours to different tourism sites across Zimbabwe. The tours will present a good opportunity for international buyers and journalists alike to experience Zimbabwean hospitality and add a personal feeling of the country’s natural endowments.