Tourism Japan Expo, a boost for Sanganai/Hlanganani
Hosia Mviringi
Having successfully participated at this year’s edition of the Tourism Japan Expo, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is upbeat about prospects for the 15th edition of Sanganai/Hlanganani World Travel Expo.
The sentiment is a positive precursor to the envisaged successful hosting of Zimbabwe’s premier tourism and hospitality symposium which runs between 13-15 October 2022.
The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Marketing manager for the Asia and Pacific markets, Eniel Senderayi says that the enquiries and general interest that has been expressed so far towards the Zimbabwean tourism product has been impressive and near overwhelming. He observed that indeed the interest expressed is a loud call for the authority to up it’s game in terms of it’s 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 tourism industry,” said Senderayi.
In view of the widespread disruption of the tourism and travel sectors as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Senderayi stressed the need to reinforce the Tourism Recovery Strategy through continuous marketing and visibility activities such as the Tourism Japan Expo.
“As an industry worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, engagements such as these reinforce our Tourism Recovery Strategy as we continuously aim to place Zimbabwe back on the tourism map,” he said.
Senderayi also revealed that most enquiries about Destination Zimbabwe for the past three days were to do with the ease of connectivity, language, Culinary, and safety and security of Zimbabwe as a destination.
The Fair, which had two public days in the three days that it has been running, saw a hive of activity at the Zimbabwean stand with your operators, wholesalers, journalists, academics, and the general populace thronging the Zimbabwean stand to make enquiries.
As expressed by one journalist from a leading Japanese publication Voice Japan, Makoto Kawamura, who has visited Zimbabwe several times, what continues to surprise him is the Zimbabwean hospitality. He reminisced about how kind and friendly the Zimbabwean people are, solidifying the motion that Zimbabwe’s greatest attraction are it’s people.
“What really blew my mind up about Zimbabwe is it’s people. I was very impressed by such attractions 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 receive visitors,” he said.
Most visitors to the Zimbabwean stand, some who have visited the country before, reminisced about the beauty that abound on Zimbabwe as a result of a diversified pristine wildlife and nature, wonderful people and a unique culture, as well as a welcoming environment characterised by a good security history and beautiful climatic conditions. Most such visitors expressed a desire to return to the Southern African country to experience the World of Wonders again.
The Organising Committee Chairperson of the Tourism Expo Japan, Kenichiro Yamanishi, opened the rebranded Expo stipulating processes that are currently underway regarding the ease of travel post Covid-19 to enable domestic and international travel. He expressed optimism of tourism recovery post pandemic.
“The developments are in motion to revive both inbound and outbound tourism demand in Japan. The tourism expo provides a chance for the tourism industry to regain its vitality,” he said.
The opening day of the Expo witnessed the convening of the fifth Ministerial Roundtable themed, “Tackling Climate Change in Tourism”. The roundtable emphasised on the need for forging global collaboration to advance Climate actions in tourism, and finding solutions to co-exist in the post pandemic world.
One of the key takeaways from the roundtable was the establishment of the Global Tourism Resilience Fund to tackle possible disruptions on tourism.
Four major tourism organisations who include the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), and Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) provided Policy guidance and recommendations during the deliberations.
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