Zimbabwe has been booted out of German’s largest Tourist Fair, Messe Berlin, following their failure to pay for their exhibition space due to Zimbabwe Tourism Authority’s maladministration.
The tourism representatives who are now currently in Berlin for the international fair, are conducting their clients at ITB without a stand and trying to sell Zimbabwe while having to endure the embarrassing question from all corners: “Where is the Zimbabwe Stand 2015.”
According to sources from ZTA, officials are in Berlin and evading the wrath of Zimbabwean tourism operators – possibly enjoying their per diems and shopping opportunities outside the ITB.
One of the sources further told ZimEye.com that in previous years, payment of Messe Berlin, the organisers of the largest Tourist Fair, the ITB in Berlin, had always been an issue.
ZTA just managed to pay a portion in the last minute of the day in 2014. Zimbabwe owes the organisers a lump sum in last year’s arrears thereby leading to their expulsion this year. This time around, Messe Berlin had to follow their principles and pulled strings.
The announcement of Zimbabwe’s expulsion from this year’s Berlin exhibition was delivered on the 26th of February. They said Zimbabwe was too late to register and had not paid up their outstanding balances for ITB Asia 2013 and ITB 2014.
Zimbabwe’s frequent players in tourism industry had booked their flights, for the exhibition and had made appointments with clients and with operators, which they are now facing a torrid time to convince them of Zimbabwe as a tourist destination.
The Minister for Tourism, who is the Masvingo legislator, Walter Mzembi, recently announced that there will be massive tourist arrivals in the near future after the exhibition, a position analysts referred to as building castles in the air. Mzembi is also accused of being more concerned about his invasion of a chicken farm in Masvingo in a bid to enrich himself at the expense of his job.
ZTA boss Karikoga Kaseke who is accused of just fearing the first family and lacking commitment towards the businesses he is supposed to serve, has also not been forthcoming as documents in ZimEye.com’s possession, once again revealed Zimbabwe will not this year be able to participate in the German’s international tourism business.