Tourism Minister Rodney Sikumba says the new dawn government remains committed to driving its agenda of enhancing investment in the tourism sector.
Mr Sikumba said his Ministry is focused on fostering the much desired economic growth in the tourism sector by ensuring that visibility of Zambia to the world is constant with the vision 2023 of 1.5 million arrivals is actualized.
He said the Ministry of Tourism continues to grow the sector’s capacity to being one of the pillars of the economy.
Mr. Sikumba was speaking following Zambia’s successful participation at the recently held Africa Travel Indaba 2023 where the country won the Green Large Stand Platinum Award for incorporating different aspects of tourism in its approach to this year’s Indaba.
Africa’s Travel Indaba is the largest tourism exhibition in Africa hosted by South Africa Tourism in Durban.
The Indaba attracted over 5000 people in attendance and just under 1000 exhibitors from 20 countries across Africa with the sole focus of advancing Africa continent and for Zambia selling Destination Zambia.
“The Zambia Tourism Agency stand was one of the busiest stands with each exhibitor sharing their authentic story to why Zambia is the best destination in the southern region. Attending Trade shows like this allow for my Ministry to further its agenda for fostering the much desired economic growth in our sector by ensuring that visibility of Zambia to the world is constant with the vision 2023 of 1.5 million arrivals is sold and actualized,” Mr Sikumba said.
He added, “For the first time, the Zambia stand had incorporated the aspect lf supporting SMEs and having locally crafted products such as home grown chocolate, honey and groundnuts and the iconic Mosi representing the Mosi-o-Tunya. The Zambian stand stood out as the best International stand which was well decorated with Zambian colours and provided tourism visuals and information depicting several tourism products dotted across the country.”
“We held many bilateral meetings to reinforce our commitment to collaborative effort in selling Africa as a destination with our different countries counterparts. The new dawn government remains committed to driving its agenda of enhancing investment in the tourism sector,” he said.
He added. Special thanks to the hardworking staff at the Zambia Tourism Agency, Ministry Of Tourism and the exhibitors who showed up in the true spirit of One Zambia One Nation.”
Let’s be real here…Zambia compared to Zimbabwe is still not even as popular as a tourist destination. Let’s be real here…Zambia compared to Zimbabwe is still not even as popular as a tourist destination. Go to Vic falls in Zimbabwe and you will see how clean and organised that town is compared to it’s twin town Livingstone across the Zambezi, travel along the roads in Zimbabwe and you will come across neatly designed lay – bys which are equiped with dustbins for tourists to stop, relax, picnic if they wish and dispose of their rubbish in a neat and organised manner. In Zambia a lay-by is a market place where marketeers more often than not have taken up the entire space and is not a neat facility in the slightest.
Ctn…
Yet Zimbabwe is a nation hard hit with sanctions and currency that is always depreciating. Zambia on the other hand has free trade and so many well wishers donating this and that, we have free flowing investment but we are still lagging behind a sanctioned hit Zimbabwe when it comes to tourism potential? What is wrong with us? Are we mentally sound? Why do we cheat ourselves with such fake “achievements” when we hold exhibitions abroad. We give our visitors false expectations, tell them the truth which is our roads are amongst the worst in the world and towns dont have a sustainable waste management system, we have a junkie problem and tourists risk being robbed should they venture out at late hours.
Ctn…
Also we have a terrible health system that is not fit for purpose so better these tourists come to Zambia fully jabbed because to get sick here is putting their lives at risk with nurses who are notorious for being amongst the most uncaring and negligent in the world, lastly never should they attempt a crime as our prisons are not places they want to even spend an hour in let alone months due to a terrible bureaucracy. Only when we accept that these flaws that were inherited from previous regimes actually exist can we correct this and come out stronger as a tourist destination. Tourism is a multi sectoral industry and needs collective steps to develop it properly not a stand abroad which receives a lot of visitors.
I agree with you 2020 vision on this one….Livingstone needs an upgrade but remember it was a Provincial capital but some silly Politician moved the Provincial Capital to Choma….Politicians are a hindrance….remember the issue of Lower Zambezi mining…Politicians don’t care about Tourism…next you will hear that Vic Falls is owned by the Chinese or USA
Am flying to L/Stone with 3 colleagues next for a packaged holiday sold by a South African company. Guess who gets most of the money. You can’t even market the tourism industry properly and there you are busy bragging. SMH