The five-day Sanganai/Hlanganani Travel and Tourism Africa Fair taking place in the second largest city of Bulawayo is being attended by more than 750 local and international exhibitors, a huge jump from 450 who were present last year.
However, a survey by ZimOnline yesterday revealed that there were virtually no exhibitors or buyers from European Union countries, United States, Canada or Australia that have been traditionally the biggest markets for Zimbabwe’s tourism industry.
Foreign firms at the fair are mainly from Africa and from rich Asian economies such as China and Malaysia, countries with which Mugabe has tried to align Zimbabwe in a new Look East’ policy the veteran leader adopted after relations soured with the West.
Deputy Tourism Minister Andrew Langa blamed the absence of Western firms at the fair on a hostile international media that portrays the southern African country as an unsafe destination and on Western governments he said were blocking firms from their countries from doing business with Zimbabwe.
It’s all because of the negative publicity and illegal economic sanctions against the country. Firms from those countries are warned not to do business with Zimbabwe, said Langa by phone.
The EU, US and other Western nations have since 2002 maintained sanctions against Mugabe’s government as punishment for his controversial seizure of white farmland for redistribution to landless blacks, failure to uphold the rule of law, human rights and democracy.
Western governments have also pressed private firms based in their territories to refrain from any business deals that might end up benefiting Mugabe’s government.
However a September 15 agreement between Mugabe and opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara to form a power-sharing government to tackle Zimbabwe’s political and economic crisis has raised hopes for restoration of normal relations with the West.
The EU and US have welcomed the power-sharing deal but said they could only consider lifting sanctions or providing economic support to Zimbabwe after first assessing implementation of the agreement on the ground.
Under the agreement Mugabe will remain president while Tsvangirai becomes prime minister and Mutambara deputy prime minister. The agreement allots 15 Cabinet posts to ZANU PF, 13 to the Tsvangirai-led MDC and three to Mutambara’s faction.
– ZimOnline