The Sunday News
Simba Jemwa, Sunday News Reporter
BARELY 24 hours after announcing its partnership agreements with Air Zimbabwe and Airports Company of Zimbabwe (ACZ), the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) has announced another strategic alliance with one of the world’s top airlines, Ethiopian Airlines ahead of this year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo.
The ZTA yesterday revealed that Ethiopian Airlines is the official carrier for its international buyers and journalists who will be attending the travel and tourism showpiece, which will be held from 13 to 15 October at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre.
The expo is a platform for partnerships and connects industry players under the same roof with buyers, agents, journalists and potential travellers. The exhibition forms part of the Tourism Recovery Plan with the aim of achieving a US$5 billion industry by 2025.
According to the partnership, Ethiopian Airlines will cater for foreign inbound visitors who will be coming for the tourism expo. The airline will be flying from Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom via Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital to Joshua Mqabuko International Airport. The airline was already flying into Harare and Victoria Falls.
ZTA chief executive officer Ms Winnie Muchanyuka welcomed the development and called it an affirmation of the continued growth of the expo and her organisation’s reach in the tourism industry.
“The ZTA is pleased to partner with the Ethiopian Airlines as the official International Airline partner for Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo from 13-15 October 2022. This expo, the first after prolonged suspension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is a business opportunity for all travel and tourism players, Ethiopian Airlines included. We are obviously delighted with the vote of confidence in both the expo and Bulawayo as a destination.”
In an exclusive statement to Sunday News, Ethiopian Airlines said: “We are pleased with our partnership with Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo through the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. Ethiopian Airlines is the official carrier for the international buyers and exhibitors. Ethiopian Airlines has enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership with Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo over the years and continues to do so.
“It is known that the past years have been challenging ones, the continued effects of the pandemic have shaken the industry and the economy. Despite all the adversary factors, Ethiopian Airlines has continued to fly to Harare uninterrupted, demonstrating our perseverance and devotion to our customers and to the country in challenging time.”
The airline also announced that it will from next month launch a direct flight between London and Bulawayo.
“We’re also delighted to announce that Ethiopian Airlines will start a direct flight to the vibrant city of Bulawayo effective from 30 October, and we believe this will make a breakthrough for the growth of economy and tourism of the city and reduce inconveniences of customers transiting to other cities for connection purposes.”
Ethiopian Airlines is the fastest growing airline in Africa and envisages to reach 120 international destinations worldwide by the year 2025.
Zimbabwe has witnessed increased interest from various airlines in recent years, with some, including Emirates, increasing flight frequency while others, including Germany’s Eurowings Discover airline and RwandAir, have also entered the country’s air market.
The ZTA and the Government, through the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, have been working on harnessing the potential the country has to become a tourism giant given the natural resources and heritage sites that are abound in the country.
The industry is seen as a low-hanging fruit for Zimbabwe and the Government has introduced a number of incentives to ensure the sector recovers quickly so that it becomes a US$5 billion industry by 2025. – @RealSimba Jemwa
