The Sunday News
Roberta Katunga Senior Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority has heeded the call that was made by exhibitors and buyers during last year’s edition of the annual tourism exhibition, Sanganai/Hlanganani to move the event to the first half of the year to make it in sync with their planning cycle.
The expo which is usually held around October annually will this year be held from 18-20 June at the Harare International Conference Centre following the recommendation.
ZTA head of corporate affairs Mr Sugar Chagonda said the move to host the event during the first half of the year follows a repositioning exercise of the fair as the tourism authority seeks to make it more productive and business focused.
“The exhibition was repositioned last year to give it a more serious business thrust with changes that included buyer-exhibitor selection criteria, downsizing of space occupied by exhibitors and the use of online meeting booking system for buyers and exhibitors,” he said.
According to the ZTA, the tourism industry through the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism and the buyers highlighted that the time at which Sanganai is held was not in sync with their planning cycle and they suggested an earlier timing, which is more suitable to allow them to package Zimbabwe the following year.
“As ZTA, we were left with no option but to move Sanganai to the first half of the year as we are convinced that this is in the interest of the industry in our endeavour to attract quality buyers who will seriously do business with us,” Mr Chagonda said.
Responding to questions on whether interested parties have been adequately informed of the dates change, Mr Chagonda said the ZTA was using all communication channels at their disposal to inform exhibitors and buyers as well as the public that the expo has been brought back to June.
He said the authority held several workshop meetings with industry and have been communicating with buyers.
Meanwhile, ZTA chief operating officer Mr Givemore Chidzidzi said despite positive reports yielded by the 2014 edition of Sanganai, there were a few challenges which the authority was rectifying and should have been sorted out by April and these include the efficiency of the online appointment system that was introduced at the last edition of Sanganai.
“Like any other IT based system there is always room to improve. The system was developed, tried and tested last year and we are busy improving it on the basis of the feedback received from the users. We assure buyers and exhibitors that the system is a lot better this year,” Mr Chidzidzi said.
Mr Chidzidzi urged operators in the tourism industry to play an active role in bringing buyers as the success of Sanganai and Zimbabwe’s tourism is dependent on joint efforts between the ZTA and players in the tourism sector.
He said recruitment of buyers and exhibitors for this year’s fair is in progress with the revamped Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo website now up and running.
“The online booking system will be open to buyers and exhibitors alike by the middle of March. We will be running with our pay off line ‘Africa’s premier business exchange’,” said Mr Chidzidzi.
