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The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) is this year exhibiting at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), to be held in Dubai (UAE) starting today to the 12th of May.
ZTA Head Corporate Affairs Godfrey ‘Chief’ Koti said the national tourism organisation is using the exhibition as an opportunity to create awareness of Destination Zimbabwe.
“We intend to maximise our visibility efforts in this market for the destination through showcasing the country’s tourism and cultural products as well as promote it as a safe tourism investment destination,” said Koti.
Zimbabwe has been experiencing a steady increase of tourist arrivals from the Middle East source markets since 2004.
“We are treating this market as a greenfield and hence our efforts will be largely based on creating awareness and visibility. We have in the past recorded relatively steady tourist inflows of 3 988 in 2004 and a peak of 10 077 arrivals in 2009 while the figure dropped significantly due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The growth pre-pandemic had been attributed to promotional campaigns that had been put into effect mostly through participation at various exhibitions including the ATM as well as hosting of media and tour agencies on familiarisation tours,” said Koti.
Participation at travel fairs like Arabian Travel Market, market-specific roadshows, and digital marketing are the major promotional tools that ZTA is using to embark on after the Expo Dubai 2020 in order to increase destination visibility in the Middle East source markets.
ABOUT THE ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET
Arabian Travel Market is a travel and tourism event unlocking business potential within the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. Tourism destinations from the Middle East and around the world showcase a diverse range of accommodation options, breathtaking tourism attractions, and new airline routes. Arabian Travel Market hosts 150 of the industry’s top buyers through the Hosted Delegate programme. The programme is an effective way for buyers looking to expand their business in the Middle East through increased access to the right exhibitors.
The ATM is one of the most established travel trade exhibitions within the Middle East and Gulf region. International buyers from the rest of the Middle East, part of Asia, the Pacific, Europe, and Africa attend this annual tourism showcase. Zimbabwe will get an opportunity to show the region that it’s a destination of choice from competitors,t South Africa, Nigeria, Seychelles, Mauritius, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia, Kenya, and Ethiopia who are regular exhibitors.
The destination currently enjoys direct flights from the Middle East region from Emirates Airline, RwandAir, and Qatar Airways.