The newly-sworn-in Zimbabwe Vice President Joice Mujuru on Friday said the historic first edition of Sanganai/ Hlanganani World Travel and Tourism Africa Fair has opened a new chapter for African tourism as a whole, according to The Herald on Saturday.

Officially opening the exhibition, which took place in the country's second largest city of Bulawayo, Mujuru said the decision to hold the event at the Trade Fair grounds in Bulawayo was laudable as there was more space.

"We all believe, as you do, that Sanganai/ Hlanganani will be the vehicle through which tourism development in this part of the country will be boosted as Bulawayo and its surrounding environment are abundantly rich in tourism resources," said Mujuru.

She said apart from the two World Heritage Sites, the Matobo Hills and the Khami Ruins, the region prides itself in having a large cultural museum.

The vice president challenged tourism players in Matabeleland to take advantage of the fair to initiate and develop tourism-related business ventures. She noted that the theme for the fair, "Building Images for African Destinations," was apt in that Africa,which possesses arguably the best natural resources and tourist attractions, only received less than 4 percent of the world's tourism traffic last year.

Mujuru said the Image Marketing Strategies underpinned and anchored by the Perception Management Program were working well for the country.

The program, which has seen Zimbabwe hosting opinion leaders and celebrities as well as the media, has led to a steady rise in tourist traffic in the country. "From 2006 we have seen tourist arrivals in Zimbabwe increase by 49 percent over 2005, 24 percent in 2007 over 2006 while the first quarter of 2008 registered an increase of 11 percent as compared to the same period in 2007," said Mujuru.

The vice president said she was happy that the issue of Destination Image was the main focus for the fair and hence over 50 international media personalities had been invited to the exposition.