THERE is need to establish a national airline as well as undertake a cost-benefit analysis of various tourism tax incentives and licence reforms to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to the economy.
The Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) says there was need to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of various tax incentives and licensing reforms as well as the establishment of a national airline to promote tourism in the country.
Executive director Bernadette Deka said this when she led a PMRC research team which appeared before the Parliamentary Committee on Lands, Environment and Tourism to discuss “The State of Zambia’s Tourism Sector.”
“In the recent years, there has been a steady but minimal increase in the tourism sector’s direct contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”
“The sector’s direct contribution to GDP increased from an average of about 2.3 per cent about US$200 million in 2011 to an average of about 3.7 per cent about $320 million in 2015 but with more reforms its contribution can grow,” Ms Deka said.
The submission was based on the tourism sector’s contribution to GDP, total revenue collected and statistics on employment in the recent years.
She called for increased political will to facilitate funding of various tourism related developments, and effective implementation of revised policies and legislation while maintaining a stable economic landscape to reduce the cost of doing business.
Ms Deka said a robust domestic and international tourism marketing plan was needed to incorporate all tourism products including visual arts culture, heritage sites and others.
“Tourism diversification to other products in addition to the Victoria Falls which should include arts, culture and other products and improved data collection of tourism related statistics is need to grow the sector,” she said.
Ms Deka said increased funding towards the implementation of the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for the collection of various information and statistics on the sector as well as effective marketing through dynamic tourism packaging were key to increased tourist arrivals and increased length of stay thereby translating into higher tourism earnings.
The airline won’t come as long as someone is benefiting in a corrupt way. That’s how things work pa Zed. Wake up, open your eyes!
That was a beautiful looking airline, for once upon a time Zambia.
@ Hunchback
Yap. Long before MMD become party of thieves, perjurers and plunderers.
That airline was on of the main reasons Zambia was BANKRUPTED under KK and his UNIP government! He used to take their aeroplane on a whim, at moments notice and all the booked and paid for passengers had to be accommodated in expensive hotels at the airlines expense until alternative arrangements could be made!
Governments have no business running airlines. Even commercial companies struggle to make a profit!
Can you imagine how much it would cost the Nation if Lungu and his fellow PF world travellers had access to free flying again? We would have to BORROW another 10 BILLION DOLLARS just to pay for that!
You say that “there is need to establish a national airline as well as undertake a cost-benefit analysis of various tourism tax incentives and licence reforms”! How do you know there is need for the airline but you haven’t done a cost benefit analysis? What would be the point of the analysis after you have decided that airline is already needed? Seleni!
When that illegal pf government has failed to gurantee basic needs of life here you are dreaming about a national airline kikiki ah some people are daft
are you partisan? which party do you have in mind which will change things? As far as I know PF is even better than UPND(under the current leadership of Hichilema ), I had respect for Mazoka…. but now???????
misplaced priorities. Better come up poverty reduction ideas. Airlines are bad businesses for Governments period!
National Airline will be for the Rich, better bring National Bus Services!!!
Nooooooo! It will be a pathetic venture
Stupid *****. Please sit down. You mean the people dying from buses are not enough?
What nonsense just Lazy thinking…National Airline would not have any impact on Tourism growth, surely what would the airline do that the ones with deep pockets currently operating like Emirates and [Air France + KLM + Kenya Airways] are not doing? I can only think of subsidized fuel and tickets costing us more money.
You want to promote tourism in Zambia reduce the tax on Jet fuel …aircrafts detour to Harare jet to refuel before the come to KKIA.
Government should not be in the business of running businesses. Period. Nothing wrong with letting the private sector continue to grow in this sector.
Couldn’t run the mines ,can’t run Zamtel ,we’ve let foreign owned Shoprite run roughshod over Zambia cuz we can’t run our own…and now some unwise lunatics want to run an airline?
Leave it to Kenya Airways and Ethiopian – these two are serious businesses unlike our own Kantemba airline.
@Mzambia Wa Zamani Those Airlines you mentioned are also struggling …if it was not for that merger with KLM Kenya Airways would be gone.
I still don’t know how one can contemplate risking taxpayer’s funds in a cut throat sector like airline sector….why do they carry on entertaining this idea? Why?
Bring back QZ imwe ba mambala!
IT IS TIME FOR ZAMBIA TO HAVE A NATIONAL AIRLINE (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR SUCH AS PPP). WITH OUR OWN AIRLINE WE WOULD KNOW AND DECIDE WHICH ROUTES TO OPERATE TO BRING TOURISTS TO ZAMBIA. WE WOULD HAVE DIRECT FLIGHTS ON VERY LONG BUT POPULAR ROUTES SUCH AS USA, UK, EUROPE, ETC. ZAMBIA CAN NEVER DEVELOP TOURISM ON OTHER COUNTRIES AIRLINES. IN FACT MOST (IF NOT ALL) AIRLINES THAT OPERATE ZAMBIA’S ROUTES FROM OVERSEAS DO SO TO RIP PASSENGER ON FARE AS TRAVELLERS TO ZAMBIA HAVE NO CHOICE DUE TO LACK OF THE NATIONAL AIRLINE. FRANCE THROUGH François Hollande, THE FRENCH PRESIDENT DID PROMISE TO HELP ZAMBIA REINSTATE IT’S NATIONAL AIRLINE BY USING FRANCE’S AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURING COMPANY- AIRBUS.
THE PROMISE WAS MADE TO ECL WHEN HE VISITED FRENCE. APART FROM JUST BEEFING UP ZAMBIA AIRWAYS WITH AIRCRAFT, FRANCE WILL TRAIN ALL STRATEGIC PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE AIRLINE OPERATION SUCH AS PILOTS, AIRCRAFT ENGINEERS, CABIN CREW MEMBERS, AIRTRAFFIC CONTROLLERS, ETC. SO, FOR ME ECL SHOULD HAVE SEIZED THIS OPPORTUNITY IMMEDIATELY HE BOUNCED BACK TO POWER AS HE WAS THE ONE THROUGH WHOM ZAMBIA WAS PROMISED. WE CAN’T JUST BE DEVELOPING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OTHER COUNTRIES TO ENJOY. EG, WITH THE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED TO ZAMBIA THROUGH GRAIN PRODUCT SMUGGLING, ZAMBIA DOESN’T SEE IT BUT SOUTH AFRICANS THAT ARE SMART EXPORT FOOD STUFF TO CONGO USING THE VERY ROADS ZAMBIA IS BUILDING BUT NOT EFFECTIVELY USING.
Really laughable…you think France owns Air Bus to promise aircrafts!!
Am getting tired of this QZ talk. Too much talk with no action. @Mzambia Wa Zamani, can you also leave me to come and run your home? @Jay Jay, what can i also come and run your home instead of you running it?
INSTEAD OF LOUDLY CONDEMNING THIS GOLDEN BUSINESS OPPRTUNITY (MEALIE MEAL SMUGGLING INTO CONGO, ZIMBZBWE, MALAWI, ETC) THAT TAKES PLACE, THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SMARTER TO QUITELY CONSTRUCT AT LEAST 5 STATE-OF-THE-ART ALL-GRAIN PROCESSING PLANTS IN STRATEGIC TO (BURUNDI, CONGO, BOTSWANA, ANGOLA, MALAWI AND ZIMBABWE) COUNTRIES WHERE SMUGGLING OF MEALIE MEAL IS RAMPANT. ALL WE DO IS CONDEMN THIS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND THE COUNTRIES WHERE THE MEALIE MEAL IS SMUGGLED TO. IT SHOCKS ME THAT ALL ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENTS HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND RESPOND TO IT RATIONALLY. IT COULD HAVE CREATED MILLION FARMERS AND MILLION EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR ZAMBIANS.
BECAUSE INSTEAD OF JUST MEALIE MEAL, OTHER GRAINS SUCH AS RICE WHEAT, SORGHUM, ETC WOULD HAVE WOULD HAVE BEEN PROCESSED AT THESE PLANTS. MEANING FARMING IN ALL THESE GRAINS CREATING THOUSANDS OF FARMS WHICH WOULD NEED FARM WORKERS. ZAMBIANS LET’S WAKE UP.
Am surprised how some pipo dont want a national airline. Even the little malawi they have their own. Most countries they there own airlines. Its painful each time you are flying out you depend on other air lines. It will be good to bring back Zed airways with the motto flying you with zed smile
Scone13! Let Me Enlighten you. ‘Air Malawi’ in no longer in existence. it ceased operations in 2013. What you are probably referring to is Malawian Airlines. Malawian Airlines is a privately owned airline just like Proflight Zambia.
Arilines are generally bad businesses for Governments. SAA, Kenya airways, Air Zimbabwe and Air Namibia just to mention a few, are African airlines that are running on life support form their governments. Ethiopian Airlines is one of the only if not the only African airlines that is still growing and performing very well. Its State owned and yet it has not received any funding from Government for over 13 years. With their vision 2025 on course, they aim to grow their fleet to 160 Aircraft from the current 85 Aircraft.
First fix other state owed enterprises like Zesco, ZNBC, Post Office….
A National Airline is the way to go. We must harness the 4 modes of transport where we see serious advantages to Zambia and its people. The problem is that the levels of education and the quality of education appears to prevent serious economic ventures by Zambia through its government. If the prblem is that of management, we myst search high and low for quality people to run our institutions. If the problem is that of corruption, we must devise laws and rules to ring-fence our public entities instead of condemning Zambia into a permanent dependent nation for its air transport needs!
A National Airline is the way to go. We must harness the 4 modes of transport where we see serious advantages to Zambia and its people. The problem is that the levels of education and the quality of education appears to prevent serious economic ventures by Zambia through its government. If the problem is that of management, we must search high and low for quality people to run our institutions. If the problem is that of corruption, we must devise laws and rules to ring-fence our public entities instead of condemning Zambia into a permanent dependent nation for its air transport needs!
Do we have a problem with air transport? I don’t see it. I fly Ethiopian Airways and reach my destination on time. Instead of thinking of something that will just cause headaches, why not think of ways to repossess our mines.
@Ndanje Khakis, you seem to miss it. Your dollars go to foreign airlines instead of beefing up the local GDP. How many Zambians fly in and out of this nation? Kindly note that it is also a security issue where you let your head of state fly on chartered aircraft every time he flies a long haul flight. There will be more employment created and ZASTI can also become a regional training center. This is a special field of which the government must take special interest in the former Zambia Airways Engineers, pilots, Cabin Crew and Auxiliary staff before the expertise diminishes through natural causes. The Airlines mentioned by some fellows were not a match for QZ as it was popularly known. Time to act is now.
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@kasongo, valid as your points may be, I personally think past experiences are enough lessons for us not to venture into wasteful businesses. Zambia still gains from proceeds going to these airlines. We even failed to run simple private airlines such as Aero Zambia and Zambian Airways so what about a parastatal where accountability will be like trying to grow horns on a dog. Am against it.
@Scone13, am with you. Long are days when we though that if one has good education he can bring development. May be in other countries but not in Zambia where the educated think that they need some other country to look after them because of past failures.
Airline business is not good for both government & strugglers. SAA is also struggling apart from those mentioned and it continues to depend on govt grants. The policy of MMD on govt n business is the best. Govt shud create the environment for business to thrive. @Peter – the France promise is not free baba. VIA MAHALA VINATA KALE ACHIMWENE!
@Brown Envelope, think again. What brings down SAA is shoddy deals by the Executive Officers. Airline Business is so delicate you should never make a mistake of employing relatives for the sake of giving a relative a job. It does not go well with corrupt practices and needs sober minded well seasoned decision makers. Those that understand Aviation well. It can not fail if the right thing is done.
First stop Zambian culture of corruption before thinking of further application or misapplication of national resources e,g (Zamtel, ZESCO, ZICTA, Oil procurement, Infrastructures)
A crap country like The Gambia has an airline. Pa Zambia its politics as usual.
The Gambia has oil. And a population of only 2million. It’s not crap
Good Idea…Anyone opposing is just being a political lumpen. Key things that need to be considered: Business model, less GRZ involvement both from control (share holding stake) and interference on the day-to-day running of the business…Govt could have a minimum share holding to lessen tax payers funding a loss making business venture if it commits to having a bigger stake. The airline whoul allow people with money 9genuine investors) who know how to run an airline business to take the lead. Appointing cadres to lead the airline will be following into the foot steps of defunct Zambia Airways.
To me opposition to the reintroduction of QZ is not political but economical sense. Who’s gonna use this airline? 80% of Zambians wouldn’t be bothered as long as there’s a bus to take them to Kashikishi, Shangombo, Kazimule etc. Maybe someone here doesn’t know about the demise of the original airline and what caused it. Strictly speaking it’s not necessary atall and no amount of justification will make it so.
Priority no 1 in Zambia is to storm brain how maize farming can be profitable to the farmer without harming the consumer. How do we export it and cut out the smuggler. Not an aeroplane when we have enough airlines going about. Just check how many passengers are on Ethiopians Airways as it comes to KKI, just half.
@kasongo Wabaluba -are you implying that all the other airlines that have been mentioned by other bloggers are struggling because they have employed relatives? Looking at your point from the your perspective, what remedy does the advocated for airline going to have so that relatives are
@kasongo Wabaluba -are you implying that all the other airlines that have been mentioned by other bloggers are struggling because they have employed relatives? Looking at your point from the your perspective, what remedy does the advocated for airline going to have so that relatives are not employed? In present day Zambia, it’s a horn of a dog! What you have said is actually the reason we shud not even think of the airline..
We don’t need a national airline. These things are capital intensive and have a turn around period of 50 years if you’re lucky. Ask South Africans how their airline troubles their treasury