By Tichaona Kurewa
Zimbabwe’s Tourism Recovery Plan is set to get a major boost next month when Victoria Falls hosts a three day sub-regional trade travel show in the resort town.
The Trade Travel Show (TTS) is expected to see tourism players in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia, marketing the four destinations to tour operators and travel buyers from all over the world as part of spirited to efforts to grow the sub-regional tourism industry.
“Private sector organisations and tourism authorities within this region have come together to support our marketing efforts, it is those private sector initiatives that are helping our industry to resuscitate and start again after these two years of terrible cancellations due to COVID-19. The show is inviting all international operators and travel agencies to come and meet one on one with all the operators of the products that are within the area also to cut off this zooming, we all have been online and we now want to meet in person and show people that we can do it in a safe environment and market our destination ,” said Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe, Mat North Representative Anald Musonza.
Representative for the travel trade show Ms Jillian Blackbeard expressed optimism that the show will turn around the fortunes of the sector.
“What the travel show will do is bring about competitive advantage for our region, during the pandemic the global tourism sector took a huge fall and as tourism sector build back, we have competition, everybody is trying to attract the traveller who has been locked for the last two years and therefore we took this step regardless of cancellation of most shows. We want to show that our region is better than most regions in creating sustainable tourism. We are looking at over 80 global buyers from across the globe, every continent coming to Zimbabwe to meet with over 85 tourism suppliers from the four countries. The show is going to prove that the region is ready despite the global pandemic, to welcome back our travellers, to welcome them back safely and look at them as coming back to build a better tourism system. The pandemic has been tragic for everyone in this region and the show gives us hope, it gives an opportunity to build those networks ,”she said.
The four countries are members of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area with star attractions that include the Victoria Falls, Hwange National Park and Chobe National Park in Botswana.
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