Lusaka Province Minister Bowman Lusambo has implored tour operators in the Lower Zambezi to prioritize local tourists in order for the sector to be sustainable.
And Mr Lusambo has challenged the tour operators to stop quoting their services in foreign currencies.
Speaking on Saturday when he held an interactive meeting with tour operators in the Lower Zambezi, Mr Lusambo said Zambians should be encouraged to visit tourist sites.
He said making the charges affordable and advertising tourism services in the local media will go a long way in creating a sustainable local tourism sector.
Mr Lusambo said government considers the tourism sector as a priority hence the decision to classify it as an economic sector.
The Lusaka Province Minister who is also Kabushi Member of Parliament said it is unfortunate that many Zambians have never had a chance to sample local tourism products.
He also announced that givegnment will start working on the Chiawa-Katuba road in order to make the Lower Zambezi accessible by road.
Mr Lusambo further directed the tour operators to stop the practice of charging in US dollars.
He said pegging the Kwacha to the US dollar rate should also be discouraged.
Mr Lusambo also condemned the practice of compelling local tourists to going through South Africa when making and confirming bookings and reservations.
On the issue of mining in the Lower Zambezi, Mr Lusambo said the position of government on the matter has been made.
And speaking on behalf of the tour operators, Lower Zambezi Tourism Association Acting Secretary
Paula Vrdoljak said the operators are concerned that the area is operating without a Management Plan since the expiration of the last one.
Mrs. Vrdoljak also emphasized the need for clarity and assurance on the long term sustainability of the Lower Zambezi given the proposal to launch mining activities in the area.
Most of those Tour Operators run family businesses with the bulk of the clientele coming from outside Zambia, mainly Western Europe, USA and Canada. They come with the full aim of earning dollars for themselves and have well knit information networks for sourcing their clients. A Zambian tourist is last on the agenda if at all they think of Zambian tourists!!One of the reasons for pricing in $ is to keep away Zambians from going to those place they regard as exclusive resorts for their fellow whites wanting an outing in an African bush! This is a lesson, we had Statutory Instruments (SIs) that were introduced in the past to discourage “dollarisation”.They were fought by “Economic Experts”. For now, Government can do we to compel operators of tourism and leisure resorts to start having…
We also want to bungi… but that would be K1300, and climbing! That’s beyond most of us in bungi land.
For now, Government can do we to compel operators of tourism and leisure resorts to start having two rates; One for Zambians in Kwacha at affordable levels and another in $ for foreigners!! ISSUING THREATS OR PLEAS WHICH ARE NOT BACKED BY LAW WILL NOT WORK!!
This is exactly a repeat of the statutory Instruments president Data introduced when he just came in.
When your kwacha is loosing value every day, what sense is there in quoting your prices in kwacha. The kwacha is capable of changing from the time of enquiry or booking to the actual time one moves on site.
Let our Minister leaves the monitary issues in the capable hands of the ministry of finance.
WHAT DOES THIS SHALLOW CALL BOY (NG’WANG’WAZI) – BOWMAN KNOW ABOUT TOURISM??
Stick to your lane, managing Cadres @ City markets. That’s all you have a degree in.
Ati make tourism attractive to locals.
Who stopped locals from accessing & touring Lower Zambezi?
Even if given free access, your uncouth P.F, Cadre types i.e, filthy Dandy Crazy, would feel very uncomfortable in such places, as all they would encounter are civilised patrons, who don’t shout, & harass others shouting “Ni Ch@kolwa chabe’ 2021” whilst openly smoking Pot.
YOU GUYS HAVE “CADERISED” ZAMBIA TO A S@VAGE STATE WHERE THUG’Z NOW HAVE A SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT!
And that is why I say Bowman should be made Edgar Lungu’s running mate 2021, because of all the Ministers this man works hard and he tries to work for the people.
All I would ask of Bowman is to apologise to Kambwili for slapping him so that he can be seen as a reasonable man.
#BowmanLusamboforrunningmate2021
Yaba.
Are we that short of quality people that can run our country?
Lusambo is a classless riffruff.
Running a market or bus terminal well does not qualify running a country.
We have seen the results of having a riff ruff in plot one. Don’t keep repeating this mistake
Herein lies evidence of the poor thinking, non analytical Zambian cadre, clearly evident in “Patriotic Zambian’s” statement.
Surely any right thinking Zambian would be working flat out, & praying hard to ensure Zambia NEVER AGAIN has Corrupt thieves, Violent call boys – (ng’wang’wazi’s), & visionless being’s anyway near the corridors of power similar to the mistake Zambian’s made ushering in the filthy sinking Pa Bwato P.F failed experiment!
Don’t these Cadres ever wonder why Zambia is THE BEST non functioning, Cholera infested, Corrupt Ubomba mwibala Kleptocracy on the whole continent of Africa, with open sewers bang in the middle of the central business district??
It’s due to shallow reasoning Zambian’s, who wish to hand instruments of power to Bootlicking illiterates,…
cont;
Bootlicking lliterates like B0wm@n, then wonder why the country is quickly going down the tubes, where we spend over a Million U$D to go abroad, visit a junkyard & collect -Scrap metal aka “Fire engines” worth U$D 5.000c
Too right! Where is Zambia’s pride in it’s own independence? Isn’t Zambia a sovereign country, and not a colony of the USA? How utterly disgraceful.
Even Zambian property owners should wake up. They sale their homes in dollars and in the process they overprice. Me and a friend in Canada were trying to buy houses in Zambia but the dollar prices are competing with very beautiful houses in Cape Town Toronto joburg and Durban. The Zambian houses I saw were nowhere near the standard. Zambians need to be realistic
With the fluctuating Kwacha, these operators would be changing prices on a daily basis.
“…..Paula Vrdoljak said the operators are concerned that the area is operating without a Management Plan since the expiration of the last one…”
Just look at how hapless and useless this lungu lead PF GRZ is……..
They had no plan, no nothing , most likely did not know the park existed ,
Now the corrupt rats are jumping on the band wagon….
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Only a fool would quote in kwacha monopoly toy money. Ask the mining companies to quote in kwacha. Also a landlocked country which only produces copper and imports everything else cannot impose its currency on these types of transactions.
Another self appointed minister of all portfolios. Are there boundaries in the PF? What do you expect with the continuous fluctuations of the kwacha? What is wrong with quoting in dollar and getting kwacha equivalent in payments. Companies will incur unnecessary administrative costs in relation to continuous adjustments they have to make in their accounting systems due the kwacha fluctuations against the dollar if they quote in kwacha. Once one sets the dollar price it remains fixed and that person will get payments in kwacha worth when the exchange rate goes up or down there is no theft in that.
Tourist rates were affordable before foreign investors came in and wanted a quick return on their investment because of political insecurity and uncertainties. Give that security and rates can come down. Also, compel tourism operators to receive all payments from foreign tourists into a local foreign exchange account so that taxes can be collected on that. Maybe there are indigenous interests in tourism that want the money to stay outside the country?
It is always sad to be reading hate comments, Zambians we should denounce insultes, hate speeches and comments etc, let us remember that our fore fathers where united when they fought for freedom and the peace we are enjoying today. As we always say, ‘united we Stand, divided we fall’. Those in opposition unity with the rulling party PF under the leadership of President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu, one leader at time and that does not mean that when you get united with the rulling party then you can not speak and advise, you need to use the language which will Unity Zambia, which will focus on the national development.