Sikazwe calls for huge investment in tourism
Sikazwe calls for huge investment in tourismBy Kabanda Chulu
Thursday September 27, 2007 [04:00]
TOURISM Council of Zambia (TCZ) chairman Jacob Sikazwe has said lack of proper infrastructure is the biggest challenge facing the tourism sector in the country. And the Zambia National Tourist Board (ZNTB) recorded a 13.2 per cent increase in the number of visitor arrivals in 2006 having registered 756,860 visitor arrivals as compared to 668,862 tourists in 2005.
Commenting on the World Day of Tourism that falls today, Sikazwe said there was need to channel huge investments if the tourism industry was to realise its potential as the second priority sector after agriculture. He explained that capacity building programmes must also be put in place since the country lacked experienced and qualified manpower.
“We are happy to see the government prioritising the tourism sector after agriculture and putting in various reforms to ensure the industry is driven by the private sector but the biggest challenge facing the sector is lack of proper infrastructure especially that most tourism operations are rural based.
Our roads are incapable of enhancing the industry and this calls for massive investments,” said Sikazwe. “And our bed capacity is very little and it cannot be compared to what the city of Harare has to offer and also we lack qualified manpower and if issues of capacity building are not resolved then the huge investments will not matter because provision of sub standards will continue.”
And according to statistics from the ZNTB, Zambia recorded an increase of 13.6 per cent in the number of international tourist arrivals. In 2005, Zambia recorded 668,862 visitor arrivals as compared to 756,860 in 2006. During the same period under review, the ZNTB also recorded K9.814 billion in 2006 as compared to K6.242 billion in 2005 while operating costs amounted to K5.512 billion as compared to K4.139 billion during the same period.
It was also stated that Europe contributed 19 per cent of the total arrivals and registered a five per cent growth from the 2005 figure. Out of Europe, the United Kingdom continues to lead as the biggest tourist source market for Zambia followed by Germany while South Africa continues to dominate the African region as the biggest short-haul market.
And data received from the national parks indicate that a total of 42,907 international tourists visited the national parks thus registering a 19 per cent increase over the 2005 figure of 36,097.
The South Luangwa National Park was the most visited park accounting for 52 per cent of the total visits to the national parks followed by Musi-o-tunya and Lower Zambezi National Parks.
Data collected at the Victoria Falls indicate that 114,571 tourists visited the Falls in 2006 and their average duration of stay in 2006 was six days.
However, the government’s objective of increasing tourist arrivals by additional 400,000 by the year 2010 through the 2005 Visit Zambia Campaign seems to be an elusive goal following the reduction of funding to the project.
According to the 2007 budget estimates and expenditure, under the Tourism Development Unit of the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources (MTENR), government has allocated a paltry K4,994,800 as funding for the Visit Zambia Campaigns that would focus on promoting the North Western Province.
Nevertheless, the government has allocated K1 billion for the Northern Circuit (Northern and Luapula provinces), which was the emphasis for last year’s Visit Zambia Campaign. The government has also allocated huge funding to units that fall directly under the MTENR such as K500 billion for tourism promotion and marketing and K216 billion for facilitation of foreign travel and K50 million for the review of the tourism policy.
Labels: JACOB SIKAZWE, TCZ, TOURISM
posted by MrK @ 5:55 AM
1 Comments:
It all has very little to do with infrastructural investment. Investors will come when they are made to feel welcome, when their rights under the ZDA Act are respected by the political establishment and their civil service lackeys, when they may live in Zambia as free people able to express their opinions, when they may become, mirabile dictu, Zambians, should they so wish.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home