Sanganai/ Hlanganani Expo rolls into town

Judith Phiri, Business Reporter 

ALL is set for this year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo to be held at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) in Bulawayo, starting on Thursday.

The prestigious three-day event, which is on its 17th edition is expected to showcase the widest variety of Africa’s best tourism products and attract international visitors and media from across the world. 

As of last Wednesday, more than 400 companies and eight countries had registered for the forthcoming Expo.

The Hospitality Association of Zimbabwe (HAZ) has said preparations for the highly anticipated Expo, are progressing well, with the association eager to welcome a diverse range of participants from the tourism and hospitality sector.

In an interview, HAZ second vice-president and chairperson of the Bulawayo Chapter, Mr Kudzai Ratisai said they were optimistic about the Expo’s potential to boost the tourism sector. 

“As the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo approaches this week, HAZ is optimistic about the event’s potential to boost the tourism sector. 

Preparations are in full swing, with HAZ working closely with local hotels, lodges and service providers to ensure that they are ready to deliver exceptional hospitality experiences for the influx of visitors,” he said. 

“From a HAZ perspective, there is a strong emphasis on maintaining high standards of service and safety. Members are being encouraged to implement best practices in health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of guests and staff alike. This includes rigorous cleaning measures, staff training and adherence to any regulatory guidelines that may be in place.”

In terms of bookings, he said hotels and lodges in Bulawayo are experiencing a significant uptake in reservations as the Expo draws closer. Mr Ratisai said many establishments were reporting that they are nearing full capacity, reflecting the enthusiasm and anticipation surrounding the event. 

He added: “This surge in bookings not only highlights the appeal of the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo but also signals a positive recovery trajectory for the hospitality industry in Bulawayo. 

HAZ members will also take part and exhibit their products and services during the Expo for the world to see the best of Bulawayo tourism.”

Mr Ratisai said key among other things, HAZ was looking forward to leveraging the Expo to drive tourism volumes, grow Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (Mice) business, local gastronomy, grow linkages and share experiences.  He said the collaboration between HAZ, local businesses and event organisers was crucial to ensuring that the expo showcases the best of Zimbabwean hospitality while providing a safe and enjoyable environment for all participants.

In a Press briefing in Harare last Wednesday, the Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Barbra Rwodzi, gave an update on the exhibitor registration including regional and international exhibitors.

“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),” said Minister Rwodzi.  

She said South Africa and Botswana have indicated that they will bring 10 operators each while Namibia will bring six. 

Minister Rwodzi said they have been hosting the Expo for the past five years in a bid to promote the tourism industry in Bulawayo especially the small operators whom they know are incapacitated to attend international travel shows leading to the initiative to bring buyers to their doorstep.

She added: “We look forward to having a bigger Expo this year with elaborate sustainable tourism initiatives and gastronomy tourism showcase. This is to ensure that the tourism value chain is represented at Sanganai 2024. The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Technology Development will be for the first time feature Tourism Innovation Hubs.”

“This initiative is aimed at supporting youth in academia and exposing their ideas to the global community. One of the key beneficiaries of this noble initiative is the production of fresh organic juices from indigenous fruits.”

The Minister said another exciting addition will be the MICE masterclass aimed at capacitating all stakeholders on MICE tourism promotion. 

She said they were bringing MICE experts from across Africa to deliberate on pertinent issues regarding MICE tourism development and growth. 

“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.”

The annual Expo has been gradually growing, from 310 exhibitors in 2017 to 375 last year and more than 400 are expected this year.

Its growth trajectory is clear, with regional and international exhibitors increasing steadily each year.

The Expo comes at a time when Zimbabwe registered significant growth in the tourism sector during the first half of this year with international arrivals increasing by 27 percent to 751 483, up from 592 567 during the same period last year.

The surge in visitors has also translated into a 24 percent increase in tourism receipts, with the sector contributing US$493 million to the economy in the first half of the year.

Tourism remains a crucial component of Zimbabwe’s economy, accounting for approximately 5,7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 3,5 percent of national employment.