Minister of Tourism and Arts Ronald Chitotela has tasked his new Permanent Secretary Patrick Lungu to establish a tourism television channel to help market the country’s tourism sector.
Mr Chitotela told Mr Lungu to use his vast knowledge and experience as a media practitioner to help push the agenda of Zambia being more visible as a tourism destination of choice.
The Minister said formulating a tourism channel on the national broadcaster (ZNBC) would greatly help drive the country’s crusade to market the tourism sector locally and abroad.
Mr Chitotela was speaking at a luncheon that marked farewell for outgoing Permanent Secretary Auxilia Ponga and reception for incoming Permanent Secretary Patrick Lungu.
The Minister assured Mr Lungu that his ministry will give him as the new controlling officer the necessary support to meet the aspirations of the government.
Mr Chitotela urged Mr Lungu to build on the foundation laid by his predecessor and utilize the skills of the high caliber staff at the ministry.
The Minister paid tribute to Dr Ponga for her tireless efforts to help grow the tourism sector into a significant contributor to the economy.
Mr Chitotela noted that Dr Ponga played a cardinal role in the quest by the Ministry to amend the Zambia Wildlife Act No. 14 of 2015 as well as growing the tourism sector which has been adversely affected by the negative impact of the Covid 19 pandemic.
The Minister noted that it was during the tenure of Dr Ponga that the Ministry came up with the Covid Safety Protocols that saw Zambia get rated as one of the top four safest places to visit in the world during the first wave of the Covid 19 pandemic.
And Mr Lungu said belief in service, loyalty and patriotism will be cardinal in ensuring that Zambia excels as a tourism destination of choice.
This is according to a press statement issued to the media in Lusaka on Wednesday by the ministry’s Public Relations Officer Sakabilo Kalembwe.
Great ba minister. Thinking outside the box during these unprecedented times
This thief Chitotela thinks a TV Channel runs itself…you can not afford to pay Times of Zambia Reports yet you want a TV Channel..who is going to watch it. There are smarter ways to promote the country…you have lamentably failed with your airline where you wasted $30 million down the drain now you want a TV channel…shameless thieves!!
Tourist used to come to Zambia to see black Lechwe. We do not have these anymore as they have been relocated to destinations undisclosed. We even used to have wild dogs. But these have all been exported to China for consumption.
And now that this PF reintroduced big cat hunting, our lions will become wiped out soon.
Little wonder tourists are flocking to Botswana, Rwanda, RSA, Namibia….anywhere but Zambia.
Some thinking outside the box is so tortoise, why not just go the rwanda or Thailand route put a visit Zambia on any big team’s jersey,you will have access not to one costly tv channel but access all TV especially sports channels around the world. No need to set up a tv station .
Just sponsor a renowned team jersey and you will have access not to one underfunded local tv channel but the entire sports channels around the globe, rwanda and Thailand are doing it,with their visit campaigns.
PLEASE, introduce TOURISM as a subject from Grade one to university level if you wish to change our attitude towards local tourism. The other topic which should be introduced as a subject in schools is HIEGYN AND CLEANLINESS up to college level. It is very easy to inculcate and retain good manners and behaviour in children. Western and other serious countries do the same if they need something to change or be realised in their countries. Eg if Grade 1s of today learn Tourism up to college and/or university level at least once in a year they will be taking their families to tourist destinations in Zambia. That will be under 20 years to transform a child of today towards and most of us would witness the transformation.
IndigoTyrol – Its a shame …if he wants to attract tourists practice sustainable tourism ….countries in South America have banned Big Cat hunting and have seen numbers of tourists increase …this thief here is busy selling wildlife hunting licences like they are lottery tickets
@2 Airline hasn’t failed. The restart of the airline has just been suspended due to COVID-19. By the way, it is not mainly the airlines that contribute much to local tourism. It’s the coaches and trains.
You are being too simplistic. We need serious TV content on tourist destinations in Zambia and during this programme slot, that’s when tourism services could be advertised for various places. However, as I have already put it above, introduction of TOURISM as a subject in learning institutions is effective if the country is serious about tourism or anything. Jerseys and tv slots can just serve the purpose of datestamping tourism in Zambia.
Tourism is local. Go Florida, California, Niagara etc you will find that majority of the visitors are locals. We are a middle income nation, let’s start visiting and support jobs.
Honestly its better to run video ads on YouTube ,Alibaba or Google for tourism purposes than this toxic idea of a Zambian tourism TV .
Its a good idea to give the sector exposure
This is one avenue which they are going to use to steal more tax payers cash .There are more problems in the country ranging from no drugs in the hospitals etc .This is not a priority .
Use the already existing local and international TV stations to market our tourism. Don’t create a white elephant here.
What is purpose of opening a tourism channel when there is space on current ZNBC and private channels. Its just a questioning allocating airtime if that is not enough phase out some of the useless programmes being aired. Already ZNBC is rocked by demotivated staff, late payment of salaries, lack of transport and aged and outdate equipment. Ministry of Tourism should coordinate with Ministry of information and broadcasting to see how thye can advertise the tourism sub sector. This idea of creating another channel is just one way of trying to steal public resources.
It’s a great idea….given that such a channel will be dedicated to the promotion of tourism products and services available in Zambia
This is a brilliant idea. Tourism sector is the key to revive economy in coming days. It needs to be promoted aggressively to attract tourists from across the world. A dedicated TV channel for the sector can be a way to reach billions of potential customers in the world.
It should have done long back. It will not only showcase the tourist destination in the country but also create jobs. Great!!
It is called to have the cake and eat it too! The channel will not only expose our tourist destinations to the world but also will be a major contributor to the GDP and Forex Reserve. Good going Minister!
Congratulations Zambia! A new source of jobs and business is opening soon. Be ready to grab the opportunity. It’s raining jobs!
Once the tourists start coming to Zambia, the economy will start turning around. Tourism sector will give the necessary impetus to the economy. It is time that we told the world that Zambia is the safest tourist destination in Africa to travel during Covid19. After all, the world has acknowledged that!
My conscious tells me that the minister has just opened a new highway to growth and prosperity. This won’t be just a tourism channel, it will be a channel for the youths to build careers and businesses.
This is called thinking out of the box. It shows that everyone in the government is always thinking about the country and future of the people. Good to know that there are such people in the government.
Ok. If you think, you have all the wisdom in the world then why don’t you give the plan, better than what the minister has suggested? It is easy to criticise from outside, my friend, but difficult to execute things from inside.
Instead of spending on the Ads, isn’t it a good idea to have our own channel and earn money through Ads? Global players in tourism industry can buy space on the channel to advertise their products. It will earn even foreign exchange for the country!
Do you think the new TV channel won’t be accessed by domestic tourists? They will also get the information about tourist places in the country and will help them planning a visit. Why are you so pessimistic?