The Zimbabwe International Travel Expo kicked off on Thursday in Harare with great expectations of leading the country to re-enter the international tourism market.

The event comes at a time when new markets are opening up while the traditional ones have taken a rekindled interest in this destination, making it different with the previous 24 annual travel fairs, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority said.

Years of negative publicity have robbed the tourism sector of its potential but indications are that the tide is changing.

At least 300 buyers are expected to participate at the Travel Expo. By Wednesday morning, 275 buyers were already in the country, with the latest to arrive being 30 from the Middle East region and another group of 20 from neighboring South Africa, Zimbabwe's largest source markets.

Indeed, the event may not be featuring on the World Tourism Organization calendar for 2006 but the international interest is there.

Increased numbers have been noted from traditional markets in Europe such as Britain and Italy while the Asian region will also be well represented.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority said 350 buyers in total confirmed their participation. Some buyers are expected to come during the course of the three-day exposition.

The numbers this year reflect a more than 100 percent increase from the 146 buyers that participated in last year's travel expo.

Source: Xinhua