By Derick Tsimba

Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) and local tourism operators are showcasing their services and products to potential buyers in Sandton City, Johannesburg, South Africa where 338 exhibitors are part of this year’s edition of Meetings Africa, the ZTA Head of Corporate Affairs has said.

The Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions (MICE) sector is a platform for Zimbabwe tourism players to network with other players in the field of business tourism, said the ZTA Head of Corporate Affairs, Godfrey Koti.

“MICE event is running from 25 -27 February 2019 and has a packed program, which involves exhibitions, networking events and educational sessions all around the field of business tourism. Participants have been drawn from the MICE sector,” said Koti.

The country’s tourism industry is expected to benefit a lot from conferencing which accounts for US$1.03 trillion spend worldwide, said the ZTA Head of Corporate Affairs.

“International Congress and Convention Association states that conferencing accounts for US$1.03 trillion worldwide and draws in 4 billion participants from 180 countries. Zimbabwe is represented by players who are keen on tapping into this lucrative MICE industry through building new contacts,” said Koti.

Commenting on the MICE event, the Acting Chief Executive of the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Mrs Rita Likukuma said Zimbabwe should unlock the potential market offered by this event.

“Time has come for Zimbabwe to earnestly unlock the MICE market potential for the benefit of the Zimbabwean economy. Zimbabwe should embrace the role of intra-regional cooperation in the advancement of MICE Tourism in the destination,” said Likukuma.

Harare Post has learnt that those operators from Zimbabwe who are attending the fair are satisfied with the organization and level of business interactions which are relevant to their expectations of improving the tourism sector in the country.