Victoria Falls Shines at Sanganai 2026 as Wild Horizons Takes Second Place

MASVINGO, ZIMBABWE — Victoria Falls has strengthened its presence at Zimbabwe’s biggest tourism showcase, with Wild Horizons finishing second in the Best Travel Agent and Tour Operator Exhibition category, while Matabeleland North Province also secured second place in the Best Provincial Exhibition category at the 2026 Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe World Tourism Expo.

The results underline the continued strength of the Victoria Falls tourism brand and the growing profile of tourism businesses and destinations from Matabeleland North on the national and international tourism stage.

Wild Horizons, one of the leading adventure and tourism operators based in Victoria Falls, was beaten to the top position by Mhukahuru Travel and Tours, while Bewildered took third place.

In the provincial category, Midlands OPC was ranked first, followed by Matabeleland North, with Masvingo Province taking third place.

The awards were presented during the Sanganai/Hlanganani/Dzimbahwe 2026 Tourism Expo Awards Ceremony in Masvingo, recognising exhibitors for creativity, presentation, innovation, branding and their contribution to promoting Zimbabwe as a tourism destination.

GZU takes top exhibition honour

Great Zimbabwe University (GZU) emerged as the overall Top Rated Exhibition, capping an impressive performance that also saw the university win the Best Training Institution Exhibition category.

GZU was followed by Belvedere Teachers College and Manicaland State University in the training institution category.

The university’s double success highlighted the growing role of education, research, skills development and innovation in supporting Zimbabwe’s tourism industry.

Victoria Falls makes its mark

The strong performance by Wild Horizons comes as Victoria Falls continues to position itself as Zimbabwe’s flagship international tourism destination.

The city was strongly represented at Sanganai by tourism operators, hospitality businesses and other tourism stakeholders showcasing the destination’s mix of adventure tourism, wildlife, accommodation, conferencing, culture and other visitor experiences.

Wild Horizons’ second-place finish provided a notable recognition of Victoria Falls’ private-sector tourism offering and its ability to compete alongside operators from across Zimbabwe.

The result also reinforces the importance of Victoria Falls businesses using platforms such as Sanganai to secure new partnerships, attract international buyers and convert global interest into actual visitors and business.

Matabeleland North claims second provincial spot.

Matabeleland North’s second-place finish in the Best Provincial Exhibition category was another major result for the region.

The province sits at the heart of some of Zimbabwe’s most important tourism assets, including Victoria Falls and surrounding wildlife, cultural and adventure tourism attractions.

Its performance at Sanganai demonstrates the potential of packaging the province as a broader tourism destination rather than relying on a single flagship attraction.

With Victoria Falls serving as an international gateway, Matabeleland North has an opportunity to connect the Falls with surrounding communities, conservation areas, cultural experiences and emerging tourism products to encourage longer stays and greater local economic participation.

Full Sanganai 2026 Awards Results

Best Public Institution Exhibition

1. Environment Management Agency

2. Airports Company of Zimbabwe

3. National Handling Services

Best Local Authority Exhibition

1. City of Gweru

2. Masvingo City Council

3. Zibagwe Rural District Council

Best Publicity Association Exhibition

1. Harare Publicity Association

2. Masvingo Publicity Association

Best Training Institution Exhibition

1. Great Zimbabwe University

2. Belvedere Teachers College

3. Manicaland State University

Best Travel Agent and Tour Operator Exhibition

1. Mhukahuru Travel and Tours

2. Wild Horizons — Victoria Falls

3. Bewildered

Best Hotel Exhibition

1. Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG)

2. Urban Lifestyle

3. Great Zimbabwe Hotel

Best Lodge Exhibition

1. Cerutti Lodge

2. Best of Zimbabwe

3. Flame Lily Lodge

Best Safari Camp Exhibition

1. Manna Safari Resort

2. Ngamo Dam Safaris

3. Gonarezhou Conservation Trust

Best Financial Services Exhibition

1. CBZ

2. Old Mutual

3. Stanbic Bank

Best Tourism Supplier Exhibition

1. NetOne

2. Liquid Intelligent Technologies

3. Econet Wireless

Best Micro/MSME in the Tourism Value Chain

1. Albino Charity Organisation

2. Concept Investment

3. Kallen Karega

Best Airline Exhibition

1. Air Zimbabwe

2. Fastjet

3. Falcon Air

Best Car Hire Exhibition

1. Easygo Driving School

2. Impala Car Rental

3. Murare

Best Arts and Craft Exhibition

1. Kugona Cooperative

2. Wamambo Crafts

3. Eunar Africa

Best Rural Tourism Exhibition

1. Manicaland State University

2. National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe

3. Mutare Rural District Council

Best Sport Tourism Exhibition

1. Tongaatt Hullet

Best Embassy/Diplomatic & Expatriate Exhibition

1. Embassy of Indonesia

2. Embassy of Namibia

3. Embassy of Ghana

Best Medical Tourism Exhibition

1. National AIDS Council

2. First Mutual

3. Discovery Ambulance

Best Gastronomy Exhibition

1. Patriotic

2. Farm to Farm – Orrin Investments

3. Dunprey Investments

Best Provincial Exhibition

1. Midlands OPC

2. Matabeleland North

3. Masvingo Province

Best International Exhibition

1. Zambia Tourism Agency

2. Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency

3. Malawi

Top Rated Exhibition

Great Zimbabwe University

Beyond the awards

The Sanganai awards demonstrated the depth and diversity of Zimbabwe’s tourism industry, bringing together airlines, hotels, tour operators, safari camps, financial institutions, technology companies, MSMEs, provincial authorities, international tourism agencies and communities.

For Victoria Falls and Matabeleland North, the results provide further momentum to strengthen destination marketing and build stronger connections between tourism businesses, communities and international markets.

The challenge now is to turn the visibility generated at Sanganai into bookings, investment, longer visitor stays, new tourism products, jobs and greater economic benefits for communities.

For Victoria Falls in particular, the strong showing provides another opportunity to position the city not simply as Zimbabwe’s most recognisable tourism destination, but as a gateway through which visitors can discover the wider tourism potential of Matabeleland North and Zimbabwe.