The Sanganai/Hlanganani World Tourism Expo is set to go ahead after Zimbabwe's government agreed to disburse US$500 000.

The event was hanging in the balance due to financial constraints, with the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority contemplating postponing it, according to Acting Chief Executive Officer Givemore Chidzidzi. "Gladly, our continued engagement effort with the Ministry of Finance has yielded positive results," he said.

Chidzidzi said the expo would go ahead at a cost of about $1 million, with tourism players subsidising half the costs by reducing their service costs.

According to Chidzidzi, to date, 163 exhibitors have registered to participate compared with last year's 128. This includes 28 exhibitors from Botswana, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, India and Indonesia.

Chidzidzi confirmed that 128 international buyers would attend, including from the UK, Spain and Germany as well as the Americas, China, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. "The first group of buyers started arriving on June 6,” he said. “We will also be hosting 19 international journalists from Nigeria, SA, USA, UK and Spain."

The Sanganai/Hlanganani expo is taking place from June 16-18 in Bulawayo at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre.

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