Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tourism to create 300, 000 jobs by the year 2016-Jean Kapata

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Tourism and arts Minister, Jean Kapata, joins the majorrets as they showcase their skills during this year's youth day celebrations at Godfrey Chitalu Stadium in kabwe
Tourism and arts Minister, Jean Kapata, joins the majorrets as they
showcase their skills during this year’s youth day celebrations at
Godfrey Chitalu Stadium in kabwe

THE tourism sector in Zambia is forecasted to create 300, 000 jobs by the year 2016 in view of the continued growth of the sector, Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata has said.

Ms Kapata said Zambia’s tourist arrivals were focused to reach the one million mark next year which would in turn create more job opportunities to the country.

She said Zambia had in the past few years seen a steady increase in tourist arrivals from 812, 000 in 2008 to 920, 000 in 2011.

Ms Kapata was speaking in Livingstone yesterday when she officially launched the national commemoration of the United Nations World Tourism (WTD) which fell on Sunday.

This year’s WTD is being celebrated under the theme “One Billion tourists, One Billion Opportunities”.

Prior to the WTD, which fell yesterday, Livingstone hosted a number of activities during the Tourism Week to create awareness on the important role of tourism.

Ms Kapata said the steady increase of tourist arrivals in the tourism sector had also seen the proliferation of hotel establishments for the hostility industry which had increased from 1, 000 establishments in 2010 to 1, 120 in 2012.

She said the holding capacity of the hotel establishments had also increased from 19, 000 bed spaces in 2010 2010 to 22, 000 in 2012.

Ms Kapata said with the current decline in copper prices on the international market, tourism was among the alternative sectors that could diversify the economy.

“In terms of employment levels in Zambia, the sector employed 44, 292 in 2012 from 20, 000 in 2011.

“Tourism remains one of the world’s leading employment sectors and provides important livelihood opportunities and thus helping to alleviate poverty and drive inclusive development,” Ms Kapata said.

She said her Government remained committed to promoting investments for the full development of potential tourism assets, both by public and private sectors to enhance meaningfully contribution to the national economy by the tourism sector.

Ms Kapata urged all stakeholders in the tourism sector to work together and make tourism a true instrument of opportunity and inclusion.

Southern Province Minister Nathaniel Mubukwanu urged stakeholders in the tourism sector to be action oriented and create meaningful jobs for the local people.

Mr Mubukwanu urged Zambians to take advantage of the theme for this year’s WTD to exploit various opportunities in the sector.

“We want the local people to also participate in tourism industry as the sector is not only for foreign tourists,” Mr Mubukwanu said.

In a vote of thanks, newly crowned Miss Tourism Zambia Brenda Thijssen thanked Ms Kapata and the Government for honoring the people of Livingstone to host the 2015 WTD celebrations.

Meanwhile, Ms Kapata urged Zambians to embrace and appreciate the positive cultural practices that add value to the economy and promote tourism.

She was speaking in Livingstone on Saturday night during the Miss Tourism Zambia pageant and Zambian cultural night held at Maramba Cultural Village as part of the celebrations for this year’s WTD.

15 COMMENTS

    • These are hallucinations. They should have enough bed space at Chainama for the like of Jean Kapata. Simple arithmetic 20 working days X 12= 240 in a year. 300 000/240=1 250 jobs per day. Now can anyone normal person believe PF and Edgar have the capacity to create these jobs in next 12 months? Total madness

  1. The problem with PF is as much as Edgar is some how reasonable person and educated preside he has nincompoops working for him like this foo.l Jean.

    How can an economy like our create 300,000 jobs in one sector when Our 1.4 Trillion Dollar economy in Australia was praised for creating 100,000 jobs. These people are pulling down edgar, If am not mistaken the US was so proud of creating 300,000 Jobs in the last quarter and Zambia can create that in one sector,

    Who does she think she is cheating. her husband must be so naïve and she’s able to sleep around every night saying she is working. You can see her character.

  2. Edgar Lungu, in his Youth policy said, 500,000 jobs will be created BY 2016 through Internships. Jean Kapata says 300,000 jobs will be created BY 2016 in tourism. So between now and end of 2016, almost 1 million jobs will be created! What do they smoke in PF? How often do they smoke it? After smoking it, they live in paradise, not in Zambia.

  3. What a joke! I fell out of my chair laughing at this I’d!OT!!!!

    How many tourists are going to come to Zambia to sit in the dark with no ZESCO and live in dirt because of no water from LWS?

    If she said Zambia would LOSE jobs perhaps we could have believed her, but now she has proven beyond a reasonable doubt she is a M0R0N with SH1T for brains.

    This seems to be an essential requirement to join the PF and be in Government.

  4. The wrong person to be managing this sector. A lack of knowledge, education and insight is what makes this industry not work. The government knows there are capable educated Zambians with degrees who can teach and educate especially our youth. Some of these people have proposed to the government of Zambia on how they wish to help but are blocked by Jean Kapata and her entourage and we have proof. If you follow HH on twitter, you will find the person who promotes Zambia’s tourism with no pay because of the love for our Zambia.

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