CABINET OKAYS TOURISM MASTER PLAN 2030
CABINET has passed the tourism master plan which will run until 2030 as a roadmap in the development of the tourism sector, says Tourism and Arts Minister Charles Banda.
Mr. Banda said the master plan outlines how the ministry will develop the tourism sector which is now second to agriculture for Zambia away from mining because of its potential to create jobs.
Mr. Banda said tourism has been classified as the number three sector where jobs and wealth creation is concerned in which out of every eleven jobs in the world, one is from the tourism sector.
“From 2016, we have been guided by President Edgar Lungu into the transformative agenda whose dictates call for an attitude of having an insight and foresight in development.
“Cabinet has now passed the tourism master plan which is our roadmap on how we are going to carry on with the development of the tourism sector” Mr. Banda said.
He said 2013 statistics show that 1.6 billion people are travelling every year and raising up-to about US$1.78 trillion of the world GDP therefore, the need for Zambia to realise that tourism is a big business which can be tapped into to attract tourists.
But Mr Banda said to receive more of these tourists in the country, there is need for infrastructure development which includes air transport and improvement of the hospitality industry to provide accommodation a tourist would want to use.
Meanwhile, Mr. Banda said Zambia has now been recognised as a potential hub of air transportation in the Southern African region.
Mr. Banda said Israeli Air which has flights to South Africa and Tanzania now wants to close routes in the two countries because of xenophobic matters being filtered out of South Africa and insecurity in Tanzania from the tension in neighbouring Kenya.
He said during his recent trip to Israel, he was told Israel would start flying into Lusaka and to Tel Aviv because of Zambia’s peace and stability while Liberia is also planning to launch flights into Lusaka.