Zimbabwean local tourist players at the International Travel Bourse (ITB) Berlin, German has increased to 28 from 15 exhibitors who participated last year.
Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe Chief Executive Officer, Paul Matamisa said the international tourism bourse opens a window for business connections and networking for industry players which can be translated into tangible business deals within the next two to three years.
“ITB is a must attend show for the tourism industry by virtue of its magnitude, it is by and large the leading travel trade show in the world, so Zimbabwe stands to benefit immensely from networking with seasoned travel professionals to give them an appreciation of Zimbabwe’s tourism offering and include it in their packages.” Matamisa said.
The ITB, which is deemed the leading travel bourse in the world, attracts 187 countries, 1000 qualified top buyers, 10 000 exhibitors. 120 000 trade visitors, 26 000 convention visitors and more than 160 000 private and public visitors alike.
Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister, Priscah Mupfumira, led the Zimbabwean delegation to the ITB 2019 Berlin which is going from 6 to 10 March this year.
Zimbabwe, which secured 72 square metres for its local exhibitors, aims to generate business leads, create and consolidate on existing and new relationships by attending ITB Berlin 2019.
The country also aims to market the destination through assuring the German market of the safety and viability of Zimbabwe given the recent occurrences.
Among the local exhibitors participating at the world travel show in Berlin is Cresta Hotels (Pvt) Ltd, Amalinda Safari Collection, Wild Horizons and African Sun Hotels.
“A lot of investments and developments have been witnessed within the tourism industry as we continue to launch new products in response to the rise in tourist arrivals,” said Minister Mupfumira.
