By A Correspondent | Masvingo
President Emmerson Mnangagwa spent Wednesday morning touring exhibition stands at the 19th Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo in Masvingo, engaging exhibitors and viewing tourism products on display.

The optics were familiar. Smiles, ribbon-cutting, speeches about Zimbabwe’s “world-class” attractions. But behind the staged walkabout lies a tourism sector that continues to underperform, despite 19 editions of this same expo.

Sanganai was created to market Zimbabwe as a destination and unlock investment. Nearly two decades later, the same problems haunt the industry: exorbitant airfares, dilapidated roads to major attractions, visa frustrations, and a brand image still weighed down by political instability and erratic policy.

Tour operators at the expo say they are tired of “showcasing” to government officials while getting little in return. Hotel occupancy remains seasonal and heavily dependent on regional visitors. International arrivals are still below pre-2018 targets. Victoria Falls continues to carry the entire sector on its back, while other destinations struggle with poor infrastructure and marketing.

Walking exhibition halls does not build runways. It does not fix the Vic Falls-Bulawayo road. It does not make Zimbabwe competitive against Rwanda or Kenya, which are aggressively courting long-haul tourists with direct flights and digital visas.

The irony is stark. The President is being sold tourism products in Masvingo, a province whose own Great Zimbabwe ruins — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — remain inaccessible due to bad roads and limited promotion. If government cannot get tourists to its flagship heritage site 30km from the expo venue, what exactly is being celebrated?

Tourism needs more than presidential tours and press releases. It needs aviation agreements, predictable policy, investment in access roads, and a coherent international marketing strategy that goes beyond one annual expo.

Until then, Sanganai risks becoming an expensive annual ritual: exhibitors display, ministers pose, and nothing fundamentally changes for the businesses meant to benefit.

Zimbabwe’s tourism potential is real. But potential without delivery is just another stand at an expo.