The Livingstone Tourism Association says international tourist arrivals have slumped in Zambia because of the threatened state of emergency declared by President Edgar Lungu.
Meanwhile the neighbouring Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls Town is boasting of an increase with advance bookings well into 2019.
LTA chairperson Alexander Mutali revealed that despite it being a peak period, tourists have been cancelling their bookings into Zambia owing to the threatened State of Emergency.
Mutali also blamed the low international arrivals on the shortage of the univisa stickers at Kenneth Kaunda, Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula international airports, Kazungula and Victoria Falls border posts.
According to African Travel News (ATQ), international tourism arrivals in Victoria Falls Town in Zimbabwe were equivalent to those recorded in 1999.
“Africa Albida Tourism chief executive Ross Kennedy said room occupancies in Victoria Falls for the six months ended June 30, 2017 had seen an increase of 25.4 per cent over the same period in 2016. This, he said, equates to close to 19,000 additional rooms sold over that period by 10 hotels, which together have 1,125 rooms and measure arrivals monthly,”ATQ stated.
It quoted Kennedy saying the feedback in Victoria Falls showed that this same trend was also evident across the rest of the sector, which represents a further 700 rooms.
“People are booking much further in advance than they were two years ago. We have bookings well into 2019, including big international incentive travel groups, a market that has been largely absent since 1999,” ATQ stated.
It further added that Kennedy predicts that a number of hotels in Victoria Falls would record occupancies of 90 per cent and higher between August and November.
“This has not been seen since the peak tourist arrival years of 1994 to 1999…the positive downstream impact on national and regional tourism, plus the economy is significant. The increased tourism levy revenue stream will enable the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority to further enhance their marketing and branding of our world class destinations Kennedy said,”
That’s what happens when you don’t think through your decisions. The SOE was purely for political expedience. Nothing else. So sad that govt would risk our economy just to punish one individual. SAD
Folly to believe Alexander Mutali
She is lying between her teeth because Zim are well versed and have made that area a more attractive attraction than she did.
She is only trying to save her job.
Sack her, anyone believing her needs help mentally.
Thanks
BB2014,2016
You are spot on Mushota .Alexander is lying.
Also , how can you have a marketeer Jean kapata as a minister of tourism ??
I think for this important job to compete on the world stage bring in a professional not these PF stone throwers
Jean Kapata is a nurse and very well vested in politics and is very capable to run that Ministry.
After she has technocrats who manage the day to day running of the Ministry.
Wamupata fye
you even proudly say a nurse as minister of tourism ?
You said she was marketeer kaili.
The problem TSOE, but expensive room rates in Zambia. Hotels are forced to charge more due to:
1. High fees demanded by Tourism Board, Hotels Board, Councils, ZRA, ZAMCORP, ZNBC, ZESCO, SWSC among others. Unless these are addressed Zambia will remain an expensive destination.
FRANCE IS STILL UNDER THE STATE OF EMERGENCY — MORE THAN THREE YEARS NOW..
IS THERE STATE OF EMERGENCY IN THIS COUNTRY ???
Only against the opposition which the west sees as trouble……..
You can’t compare France to Zambia which still has colonial rules. France respects it citizens rights unlike Zambia. The police in France are not puppets to politicians like Zambia
Maybe if we invested more in infrastructure, international advertisement and better holiday packages like our neighbouring countries do, we wouldn’t be in this position.
What are you talking about? Harry and his girlfriend while you fooools were sleeping!!
I think, like copper and maize, Livingstone has been a monopoly of tourism and this needs to be broken. Luapula and Northern provinces have got immaculate sites and beaches which need investment and exposure. The recent Luapula Expo is a step in the right direction. The LTA is just a useless organisation which has failed to market the town. How can Zimbabwe, with a full authoritarian regime get more tourists than us and blame it on the TSOE??? You are more likely to be monitored in Zim if you are white than here, where the ZP would care less as long as you are not breaking any laws. In Lusaka, backpacker lodges are full of barefoot white folks moving freely and no one is bothered as they go about their business.
The main problem is the boers have a strangle hold on the marketing and suppy chain in bookings and payments…..not much can be done if you have a tomato and kapenta marketeer like jean kapata as minister of tourisim…..during her tenure Zambia moved back years…you need professional educated people to head that ministry…
Levy had “professional educated people” in his ministry of tourism. How far forward did they take our tourism which is still dependent on Livingstone??? Key word is WILL. It doesn’t matter how educated the minister have to be, but if he or she is a leader and has the will to succeed, WE ARE MOVING FORWARD. Sikatana, with all his education: WHERE IS HIS WINTER MAIZE?? We are still dependent on peasant farmers for our food!!
you Zambian citizen,
can you compare PLM time to lungus or satas term in office ? On every score PLM beat lungu and sata so that is what educated people can do…..Even RB did a much better job that PF, Zambia had a surplus and was building roads and did not owe more than 12 billon US because RB surrounded himself with technocrats
This is what happens when government is being run by thugs; what wisdom has Kaizer brought to Lungu except to divide the nation and oppress HH and others; no proper plans for Livingstone; expensive hotel rooms; food fuel; murders in Livingstone while PF police only want to show the world that Livingstone is a war zone when Lungu goes there; people called Zimbabwe a sinking titanic; but it is Zambia under Lungu that is sinking with the Tourism ministry that has more ministers while Zimbabwe has maintained one credible Tourism minister;n i could go on and on;
Correct lungu and the entire pf seem only intrested in oppressing the opposition to keep hold of power…..when you point failures to them ati sontapo without realising even a cinema patient can sontapo after using more then $10 billion borrowed funds..
This has nothing to do with the ”State of Emergency”!!! It’s just the lack of innovative tourism packages. There is no diversity in your packages. Just like in the 80s and 90s, I foresee, ZIM outshining us in the Victoria Falls tourism in very few months to come.
Prince Harry was in Zambia. Zambia does not market itself. People still think Vic Falls is in Zim only
There are only three tourists I can see in that picture. And they are on the Zambian side
Comment:
Just another UPND cadre peddling the usual lies as dictated by Icilema. There’s no so-called threatened state of emergency in Zambia, your liar Mutali.
why then are tourists shunning Zambia ?
@Spaka like lilo Zimbabwe has always been better in tourism than Zambia. The Muzungu support each other. All the ramshackle tourist ventures run by black Zimbabweans are shunned. Even here in Zambia the lodges run by Muzungu’s are doing well. Why?
Recently received visitors from Zambia. Loved the people and had great time here. Setback was the cost in Livingstone. A good example, in Thailand an elephant ride is between 20 to 30 USA dollars. In Livingstone it is $175. Need I go on. Livingstone Hotels are so expensive compared to Victoria. Shunning of Livingstone has very little to do with Acts chakuti.
Not true! Zambia has more tourists than Zim!
The infrastructure on the Zimbabwean side has always been great. This has always been the problem and case for years. Threatened state of emergency my foot. I have been to Victoria town it is beautiful.
Even the trouble hit areas between Uganda, DRC and Rwanda have many tourists because of the great gorillas found there. There must always be something to attract tourists. ..not the absence of so called state of emergency. How long has Egypt been under a state of emergency? Yet millions visit Egypt to see the pyramids and other historical sites. This is despite many being killed by terrorists. The author of this article has evil motives.
The Zambians are responsible for lying to the world that there is no democracy in Zambia; that the world should shun Zambia. Clinton Lost in the US, but she is there to check, and help US continue enjoying development.
Let’s face it Zimbabwe has always been more attractive to visitors than Zambia even with the Mugabe perpetual state of emergency. Even during the UDI and the liberation war whites preferred Rhodesia than Zambia. It’s easier to explain Zambia’s geographic position by starting with ” …Zambia is north of Victoria town in Zimbabwe” to any foreign person.
People! If you go on Facebook under the Department of National Parks & Wildlife, you will find out the real reason why Zambia does not do too well when it comes to tourism. You just need to read the comments and content to understand.