ZTA happy with tourism re-engagement

THE Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is excited by its tourism re-engagement crusade at the International Tourism Trade Fair (FITUR) held in Spain.

ZTA exhibited and showcased the country’s premier tourism destinations to the global travel market.

ZTA chief executive officer, Winnie Muchanyuka, said the exhibition was a success for Destination Zimbabwe.

“Firstly, we are happy to have been part of the show’s physical re-opening since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This year’s edition was attended by tourism professionals and we collaborated with Spanish operators on our stand. This was an effort to explore the market to see if we can entice arrivals into the destination and prop up our receipts as we seek to measure up to our targets.

“We had engagements with markets such as Cuba, Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador etc. The idea is to put our best foot forward in reaching out to various markets, particularly where we see a potential of traction and growth,” she said.

She said ZTA was also out to seek potential partners in the digital space for digital marketing, market research data and analysis services.

“We met with a wide-range of tech companies such as Booking.Com, Expedia and Amadeus with the view of creating relatively cheaper destination marketing and communication options.

“We are keen to explore data analysis as a business intelligence tool. This is to allow for more accurate customer behavioural traits which in turn will make our marketing efforts more directed. In this regard, we met a few companies that offer these services,” said Muchanyuka.

The tourism fair attracted more than 10 487 companies from 165 countries, 142 642 trade visitors, and 110 848 members of the public.