Daily Nation Newspaper

Luapula cries for air services to boost tourism

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By BUSINESS REPORTER

AIRLINES have been urged to introduce flights to Luapula Province to boost local tourism.

Alliance for Luapula Young Entreprene­urs (ALYE) said the closure of the Mansa route by Proflight had negatively affected the flow of tourists to the region.

In an interview yesterday, ALYE executive director, Edwin Nyirongo said despite its tourism potential, the traffic flow of tourists in Luapula province was very low.

“Proflight used to have a flight to Mansa but it closed the route citing ‘bad business environmen­t’. Since then we have seen a drastic reduction in the number of tourists coming to Mansa and the province in general,” said Mr Nyirongo.

He said government had invested massively in infrastruc­ture developmen­t to support the aviation industry.

“Government has put up measures to create an enabling environmen­t for tourism sector to grow. We have seen the expansion of Mansa airport, for instance, this is part government’s efforts to encourage the players to invest in the sector,

“Government has done its part, it’s now time for airlines to play their role by introducin­g direct flights to this region,” he said

Mr Nyirongo also said lack of effective promotion and marketing was hindering the growth of tourism in the region.

“We need to invest in marketing and promotion of out tourism hot spots. How do you expect someone in Europe to visit Samfya beach or Mumbuluma Falls which they have never heard of? It’s a challenge to all us. We need to collective­ly find solution to respond to these issues,

“Otherwise, my organisati­ons is ready to work with government to promote and market tourism in the region. We believe the sector has potential to create wealth for our people and alleviate poverty and unemployme­nt level,” said Mr Nyirongo.

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