The Tourism Council of Zambia (TCZ) is concerned that Zambia continues to be one of the most expensive tourist destinations in Africa.
TCZ board chairman Jacob Simwanza says this has made the country to continue losing
a number of foreign tourists.
Mr Simwanza says although the tourism industry ranks second to agriculture, Zambia
has not fully benefited from the industry sector.
He was speaking in Lusaka last night during the official launch of the Hotel Express Card (HEC) by a local company, JFK Investments Limited.
The HEC is a facility that would enable lodges and hotels to charge half of the given room rates.
Mr Simwanza cited the year 2005 in which the tourism sector posted a dividend of US$ 720 billion worldwide out of which only two percent was credited to Africa with South Africa taking the lion’s share.
The TCZ board chairman noted that this gloomy picture could be reversed if Africa’s
tourism products were well packaged and marketed to the international community.
He urged JFK Investments Limited to consider joining the TCZ so that many more lodges, motels and hotels also benefit from the HEC facility.
So far the Intercontinental Hotel, Zambezi Sun hotel, Livingstone Royal hotel and
Chrisma hotel are the only hotels that are offering a fifty percent less of their room rates.
And the company’s Managing Director Febby Kasanga encouraged local companies to
consider taking advantage of the HEC.
Mrs Kasanga said companies and individuals should take advantage of the HEC as it
has a number of benefits.
ZANIS