A visiting tourist has observed that Zambia has more tourist sites than any other country in the Southern African region.
Barry Williams, who is a South African, however noted that indigenous Zambians were allegedly not exploring their country where tourism is concerned.
Mr. Williams, who is on a three-week holiday in Zambia, commended government for the strides it was making towards improving the tourism sector.
He was speaking in an interview with ZANIS at the Royal Zambezi Lodge situated on the banks of the Zambezi River.
“l am moved by the tourism, explicit and experience Zambia is endowed with. This is the country (Zambia) to be if you want to enjoy in the Southern Africa region,” Mr. Williams said.
And Royal Zambezi Lodge Executive Chef Manager Keegan Corken appealed to the government to upgrade the dilapidated road infrastructure leading to guest houses, lodges and hotels in national parks.
Mr. Corken said most tourists feel frustrated by the poor road network leading to tourism sites and places.
But Acting President Guy Scott said in a separate interview that government has engaged some contractors and community resource boards to ensure there was a good road network in national parks.
Dr. Scott said the Ministry of Tourism and Arts was developing other idle tourism circuits in order to make them viable and attractive.
He however bemoaned the fact that foreign investors were setting up businesses in the tourism sector more than the indigenous Zambians.
He said Zambia’s tourism potential was far in excess than other countries in the southern African region
He wondered why countries which have less tourism sites were receiving more tourists annually than Zambia.
Unfortunately Zambians are too poor to realise this fact, they are busy looking for money!
BUSY WORKING ON PROJECTS,,,,,GOOD JOB PF,,,,,THANK YOU PF
GBM is looking at his personal interests first as an individual neglecting the interests of many Zambians who desperately need to witness completion of various developmental projects which were started by the late president. SO PLEASE HH,,,,TAKE GBM WITH YOU.
2015 VOTE PF(EDGAR)
I THANK YOU
I was just telling someone at work today about the same! I couldn’t stop bragging about about beautiful that land is. Someone had gone on Google to check it out just to know about the country I brag all the time about and they came out with some beautifully God given Landscapes.
Sports Minister Chishimba Kambwili is a wild animal TESTICLE. What has he achieved so far in ZED or overseas? He’s just a LOCAL Political Ignorant BULLY. He gonna get choked very soon and his 16″ neck will collapse.
Even rich Zambians do not see the potential, dear friend. We are just generally one-track minded people. When someone starts making money selling tomatoes we dont have the imagination to think we can sell onions to balance the supply, we all go tomato, until someone else says onions. After all these years we still need a foreigner to remind us? He’s not even the first..
Can you get a loan from the banks for any project you might want to set up? NOoo. Can you get Zambians with money to believe in your project and invest in it? NOoo. If people do not have access to funds, funding ( by govt) or investors, how are they going to set up businesses in the tourism sector? How much does it take to set up and run a private game reserve for instant? Why talk when you already know the reason?
Opinion of one tourist is welcome but not news worth.
This tells me you have never explored your own country!
More tourist will visit Zambia if you reduce the prices for accomodation like Kenyan’s Gambia, and other TOP African tourist destinations!!
Last time i had tp pay K5,000 per month for a filthy half built guesthouse in Chadleigh infested with cockroaches… Daily powercuts and water shortages.
H.H. Will put real money in your pockets that you will not exhaust all the ways to spend it. This will be as long as you are a hard worker. You will reap the fruits of your labour. But if tugiligili comes first then nothing for you. No more ukutolafye work for it.
Sad when a visitor has to tell or show you the potential you have in your own land despite already being told over and over again. There is nought as beautiful as Zambia or that has as much potential in all industries almost gloabally. It’s all right there.
I see two options here.
1. The headline of this article is a lie.
2. We Zambians must be some sleepy people indeed because in 50yrs we have not really capitalized on this “amazing tourism”
Zambians are too lazy, always trying to maximise profits while providing low quality service. There are a few exceptions though still too expensive.
Anyway, I am glad there is opportunity there. Let us not wait for government to make the first move.
Vote wisely. It’s tight, I’m not decided yet.
Tourism graduates can apply for loans involving tourism projects to build the tourism economy. The problem is when you have people in charge of dispersing money like Kambwili for youth projects pockets the money as his own. People like this defeat the purpose of dispensing loans for certain industries to move forward. If Guy Scott and HH can find a way in which they can find a trusted person to issue these loans based on merit meaning someone has to have a diploma or degree in tourism to qualify, and must have worked in the tourism sector might work. The loans would be issued quarterly meaning the person has to show what they are doing, whom they’ve employed and their financial statements every four months to qualify that way you will get serious people and not friends of friends.
It is easier spoken than done the system there is rotten to the core loans are only given to people who are already wealthy not paupers like the so called tourism graduates. If anything that tourism graduate needs to have a connection to someone in charge of the funds for them to get a funds for their desired ventures. Stop living in a fools paradise and smell the coffee.
Utalii haufaulu Zambia sababu ni nchi chafu ya watu wavivu kwa fikra,kwa kazi na wafisadi.Who’s gonna visit a filthy,lazy nation with bad airport,poor health standards and few airlines?
Hey Zamani, please don’t say such nasty things about India
Masomalians amvela jelasi maningi, anatayila kale nyama na mitengo na nsomba, manje afuna kutira nkhondo
Hey @ Nyau can you interpet for us what Chibuku and crazy Mzambia are saying please?
HH will bring investors, and put a qualified minister to run tourism, not so called Kapatas, bwafya, Masebo, eleishako, not ba Kapata
Most Zambian tourism ministers have never gone on vacation to experience the service. Sometimes you have to go incognito (disguised) to see how people perform their jobs. You also go to other countries with whom you compete for tourists to see why they get more patronage than you. But Zambian MPs are armchair types. They call shots or bark orders to their employees from the comfort of their houses or offices in LUSAKA. There are no performance standards or targets required of the MPs by the president. Stupid indeed but they will continue to do this until they go to school including marketing especially in finding out what customers need and how to meet those needs. A president has to set performance standards for MPS.
@Mzambia wa Zamani, real tourists would like to come and see how “lazy people” in a “filthy country” with “poor everything” live! They will be curius to know why people enjoy living like that…kkk. Bakaamba, independent Africa is young, we shall get th