Africa: Zimbabwe tourism takes marketing efforts to FITUR in Spain

As the world converges at the Spanish International Tourism Trade Fair, FITUR in Madrid, Spain from 22 – 26 January 2020, Zimbabwe will be among the 10,487 exhibitors from 165 countries.

Zimbabwe’s exhibition comes at an opportune time when the world is becoming more conscious about travel and discovery of new destinations. This is the 12th time the country has exhibited at the expose.

FITUR is the global meeting point for the world’s tourism professionals. It is the leading trade fair for inbound and outbound markets in Europe. The showcase also attracts 142 642 trade visitors and last year over 110 848 entries were recorded as interest grows from the general populace.

According to Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Acting Chief Executive, Givemore Chidzidzi, the fair presented a great opportunity for increasing the destination’s visibility “With this networking and intense exposure, Zimbabwe is will leverage on this platform to reassure the market and further position Zimbabwe as a destination of choice” said Chidzidzi.

“Furthermore, with the strategic position of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in Madrid, policy-makers within this body will meet to deliberate on global tourism issues under the auspices of FITUR,” he added.

Zimbabwe’s participation remains critical as this will also present an opportunity to contribute as well as tap into the global travel ideas that will impact on tourism development in Zimbabwe. The sessions will cover topics around sustainability, innovation, investment and destination competitiveness among others.

Chidzidzi said the destination is on a drive to nurture the Spanish market which has shown positive growth patterns in the recent past. “This is one of Zimbabwe’s emerging markets, in 2018 we recorded 13,528 arrivals from that part of the world. This was a significant 8% increase from the preceding year which recorded 12,583 arrivals,” he said.

Zimbabwe is set to increase destination awareness, resuscitate and forge new partnerships with Tour Operators whilst nurturing the current business relationships with the view of intensifying the promotion and packaging of the destination in this market.

“We’re proud to share with the world that Destination Zimbabwe made it to Bloomberg’s 24 Best Travel Destinations for 2020. Additionally, Zimbabwe has also been nominated in Harpers Bazaar’s Where to Honeymoon in 2020. The renewed confidence in Zimbabwe is clearly reflected in these nominations and we are hopeful that this will drive traffic into the destination,” said Chidzidzi.

Led by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Mr. Munesu Munodawafa, the Zimbabwe delegation constitutes the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA), Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, The African Experiences and Surma Expediciones among other tourism industry players.