Rutendo Maraire
Zimbabwe is set to participate at the 4th edition of the Takulandirani Malawi International Tourism Expo (MITE) 2023 which kicks off tomorrow at the Bingu Wa Mutharika International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.
The tourism expo comes after two years in hibernation due to the COVID 19 pandemic. Zimbabwe and Malawi signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in
Zimbabwe’s attendance is strategic as the tourism industry propagates its efforts to boost international tourism recovery as enunciated by the national tourism recovery and growth strategy.
This year’s Takulandirani is expected to draw participants and buyers from Europe, North America and Asia with the significant number of participants and buyers to come from within Africa, most especially Southern and East Africa.
The Zimbabwean delegation is led by the Chief Director Tourism and Hospitality Management, Tariro Musonza accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority.
“We are excited to be travelling to Malawi to interface with international media and buyers with a particular interest in Africa and we are positive of the great impact that this interaction will have on Zimbabwe’s tourism sector, ”remarked Musonza.
The private tourism operators form part of the delegation, and they include Traverze Travel, Africa Travel and Tours, Rukoko Safaris and Malachite Travel and Tours.
Musonza said Zimbabwe received an aggregate of 1 043 781 million arrivals in 2022 and of those arrivals, Africa contributed 350 500.
“We believe that our marketing efforts at Takulandirani will result in a significant increase in Africa’s contribution to the aggregate tourism arrivals to Zimbabwe,” she said.
Takulandirani is a great opportunity for Zimbabwe and the whole global travel and tourism trade to showcase tourism products and services, meet, network, negotiate, strike business deals, and establish business partnerships all under one roof.
