…Manicaland tourism operators beckon for global Expo to come to the province

Ngoni Dapira

INTERNATIONAL buyers that recently visited Nyanga were charmed by the various tourist destinations that the eastern highlands has to offer. They said the eastern bloc has unique tourist attractions and great potential to lure more tourists if well marketed.

The tour was part of the Sanganai-Hlanganani World Tourism Expo pre-tours traditionally done by buyers that split into groups and visit various tourist attraction centres across the country. This was done before the just ended Expo that ran from last week Thursday to Saturday at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo. This year’s Expo marked the 12th edition of the annual global tourism showcase hosted by Zimbabwe.

The eastern highlands was well represented at the Expo with exhibitors from Musangano lodge, Gordons Bed n Breakfast, Far and Wide, Travel 24 Tours, Makoni Rural District Council (RDC), Mutasa RDC, Montclair Hotel and Casino, Mutare Polytechnic College and African Sun subsidiaries in the province, Holiday inn and Troutbeck Resort. Mutare Polytechnic College hailed the province after winning the Best Public Institution exhibition stand and the first-runner up Green Tourism exhibitor award while Makoni RDC scooped the first-runner up for the best RDC exhibition stand.

The international buyers at the Skywalk at Mtarazi Falls.

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) eastern region manager Ropafadzo Dunira said the two groups of international and African buyers that toured Nyanga were more than impressed.

“The buyers loved and appreciated the beauty of the Eastern Highlands and said it was the best they had seen so far in Zimbabwe in terms of breathtaking views and a relaxing atmosphere. So we are so expectant that they will go and promote this region to their different markets. These pre-tours give buyers the opportunity of first-hand experience of the tourist destinations and activities available for visitors to the eastern region. We are expecting one more group after the Expo,” she said.

Dunira said the international group which had 12 buyers comprised of nationals from Germany, Italy, the United States of America and other European countries, while the group of African buyers had eight buyers from different countries.

“They visited Nyanga National Park, Nyangombe Falls, hiking up Mt Nyangani up to the summit, experienced the skywalk and zipline at Mtarazi Falls and visited the Aberfoyle Lodge in the Honde Valley to experience its breathtaking views of tea plantations. We also conducted site inspections of hotels and lodges like Troutbeck, Rhodes Nyanga, Aberfoyle lodge, La Rochelle and Musangano Lodge,” added Dunira who accompanied the international group.

The international buyers at Nyangombe Falls in Nyanga.

One of the buyers that was charmed by the Eastern Highlands Aneesh Koorapaty from Vrnaculars a United States based organization who was visiting Zimbabwe for the second time said he really enjoyed the eastern tourism experience.

“This is my second time visiting Zimbabwe but my first time seeing this other beautiful half of your country. Last year we went to Hwange but I am really enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery in the eastern highlands,” said Koorapaty.

Martina Hirschberg from Chui Tours Afrika Safaris in Germany and Evelyne Reischmann from Travel House Africa in Switzerland concurred about an unforgettable experience that they enjoyed.

“Last year we went north to Hwange, Mana Pools and Kariba. This is indeed a beautiful country that has a lot to offer in terms of tourism. It’s my first visit here. I have been at Victoria Falls twice but I really enjoyed the World View in Nyanga. It’s a stunning place and I think this region has more to offer for tourism if well marketed,” said Reischmann.

The buyers at the Worlds View.

Each year before the tourism showcase, international buyers and media visit the prime tourist attraction sites such as Nyanga, Gonarezhou and Victoria Falls to get an appreciation of the spectacular tourist sites before packaging and marketing them across the world.

This year’s Sanganai/Hlanganani Expo attracted international buyers from regional and international countries such as South Africa, Botswana, India, Americas, and the United Kingdom. A total of 260 exhibitors participated while a total of 170 buyers including 25 international media from the country’s different source markets also attended.

The country’s prime tourism fair that is organised by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is an annual tourism trade fair. It showcases the widest variety of Africa’s best tourism products and attracts international visitors and media from across the world. The Expo is the successor of Shanyai/Vakatshani, the Zimbabwe International Travel Expo (ZITE) that used to be held annually at the Harare International Conference Centre. ZITE started as a small expo in 1982 and grew over the years to become one of Africa’s leading tourism showcases by 2007. Bulawayo has however been hosting the Expo for the past four years since its rebranding.

On the other hand, tourism marketing and promotional campaign, Eastern Highlands Experience (EHE), said it would soon lobby for the prime tourism showcase to come to the Eastern Highlands. Eastern Highlands Experience treasurer Frank Marembo said rotating the venue of the Expo would help the destination marketing drive by ZTA, especially for the Eastern Highlands that has a lot to offer.

He added that the travel and tourism sector has remained one of the most resilient sectors, registering decent growth so rotating the Expo would showcase what the region and other provinces have to offer.

An areal view of White Horse Inn in Vumba

“As EHE, we are not going back on our target to boost tourist arrivals in the Eastern bloc. At White Horse Inn in Vumba, we have since upgraded our facilities. The conference room was expanded to house at least 60 people and in the rooms the bedding is being changed to cater for lavish international guests,” said Mr Marembo who is also the director of White Horse Inn.

Other hoteliers like Holiday Inn Mutare, Leopard Rock Hotel in Vumba and Skyview Hotel in Mutare have already earmarked turnaround projects to embrace the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism, while hotels like Forest Hills Resort in Vumba and Montaclair Hotel and Casino in Nyanga have already renovated to meet modern and international standards. Holiday Inn Mutare intends to expand on its occupancy and conference facilities uptake and has since won its bid awarded by Mutare City Council to acquire the parking space land adjacent to the hotel for its expansion.

ZTA forecasts that tourist arrivals are projected to increase, benefiting from vigorous destination marketing and promotion activities. Marembo however implored Government to step up efforts towards ensuring direct air connectivity to Mutare by constructing an airport or refurbishing existing runways.

“EHE will continue making noise about the need to put up an airport terminal in Mutare which has for years been a pipe dream for tourism operators. We are really keen on seeing the Grand Reef Aerodrome project come to fruition. This will really help boost tourist arrivals in the eastern bloc. Most international tourists prefer flying and traveling short distances by road. This has seen most international tourists shun traveling to the Eastern Highlands, but with direct air connectivity we feel this will be a game changer,” said Marembo.

This year, Air Zimbabwe partnered the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority for the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo as the official domestic carrier. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) saw Air Zimbabwe joining in the league of Ethiopian Airlines which also signed an MOU with ZTA as the official airline for the domestic travel for the Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo, to help facilitate tourism and trade at discounted rates.