Nigerian Movie Stars Thrill Audience In Zimbabwe
travelafricanews.com Staff Writer
Mr. Ejike Aziegbu, Uche Jombo and Chinedu Ikedieze, thrilled audience to a spectacular moment at the just concluded Shanganai World Travel and Tourism Africa fair, Zimbabwe’s Travel and Tourism World Exhibition held in Bulawayo.
Most of the enthusiasm was directed toward Chinedu Ikedieze, a little person who helps make up the duo “Tom and Jerry,” to the Zimbabweans and Aki and Pawpaw to Nigerians, one of the African continent’s most beloved movie stars.
The fair saw Bulawayo, the second largest city in Zimbabwe opened its doors to investors, buyers and the public. The fair was held from October 15-19, 2009. The show was held for the first time in Bulawayo, which is some three hours away from Harare, where previous editions of the international tradeshow have been held.
The fair was organized by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority [ZTA] and the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair Company. The main aim of the international show is to provide the country the opportunity to showcase its tourism facilities.
Zimbabwe’s tourism industry is also trying to maximize the opportunity of showing international buyers what the country has in competing for tourists when the FIFA World Cup starts in South Africa in 2010.
The Tourism and Environment Minister, Francis Nhema was quoted as saying, “This will give us the chance to say, look this is what you can expect come 2010.”
According to ZTA, some 750 international exhibitors, buyers, sellers and journalists are expected to attend the travel fair. By 14 October, delegates from Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and China among others were already in Zimbabwe eagerly waiting for the opening of the show.
Zimbabwe has managed to stage the travel trade show amid the current political climate the country is in and in a city that is not properly positioned for tourism. Bulawayo is Zimbabwe’s industrial city and is now being pushed as a tourism destination by Zimbabwe’s tourism officials. However, there are many challenges to achieving this goal, as the city’s current tourism infrastructure is not up to par with international standards in terms of quality and quantity of hotels that are available for tourists. There are no five-star hotels just yet. Previous editions of the show were held in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.
The show ended on Saturday 19 October with stars studded concert themed “African Tourism Night.” The event was held at the main arena of the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds.
The night began with a choir performance from Bulawayo known as the Shining Star. Unicef accredited heritage dance group known as the Jarusalem Group performed. This group is made of old men and women who engage in very active dance steps. The popular Awilo group and Ringo from South Africa created a frenzy out of the hundreds that came for the show.