Over 400 exhibitors register for the 17th Sanganai...

Over 400 exhibitors register for the 17th Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo

Oscar J Jeke

Zim Now Reporter

All systems are in place for this year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo on starting on September 12 to 14 in Bulawayo, with the Tourism ministry confirming overwhelming interest from various exhibitors around the world, with figure reaching 410 to date, exceeding the targeted 400.

The Expo that will be resident to a number of activities such as the MICE masterclass, Tourism Scholastic Conference and the Zimbabwe Investment Forum, put together for an engagement drive revolving around discussions and sharing of ideas with industry experts around the world, that has seen exhibitors and buyers from around the world show registering to take part in the tourism showcase.

Speaking to the media in Harare on Wednesday morning, Tourism and Hospitality minister Babra Rwodzi, said the expectation is that this year’s edition will be a grand one, especially with prospects already seen with exhibitors exceeding government expectation and earmarked target of 400.

She further noted that the repetition of location of hosting event, that is Bulawayo has been deliberate being that local exhibitors are strained financially to showcase their products on international exhibitions, hence bringing buyers to their doorstep.

“We have been hosting this expo for the past 5 years in a bid to promote the tourism industry in Bulawayo especially the small operators whom we know are incapacitated to attend international travel shows, hence the initiative to bring buyers to their doorstep.

"We look forward to having a bigger expo this year with elaborate sustainable tourism initiatives and gastronomy tourism showcase. We look forward to Sanganai/Hlanganani – World Tourism Expo being the key tourism exhibition in Africa as we are inviting other regional countries to take part and pitch their investment opportunities and tourism product portfolios. Exhibitor recruitment is already in progress and to date 410 companies have registered to participate at Sanganai/Hlanganani 2024.

“To date, eight countries have registered to participate at the expo and will be bringing operators from their countries, these are (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Tanzania, Embassy of Iran, Angola and Nigeria). South Africa and Botswana have indicated that they will bring 10 operators each.Namibia will bring 6 operators. Two countries have already expressed that they won’t be exhibiting this year due to financial constraints which are Rwanda and Mozambique,” she said.