JOB LOSSES LOOM IN TOURISM SECTOR

THEsecond wave of Covid-19 will result in mass job losses in the tourism and hospitality industry in Northern Tourism Circuit, Regional Tourism Development Coordinator Francis Chiwele has said.

Mr Chiwele said international tourists arrivals had completely cut off due to lockdowns in their respective countries.

He said domestic tourism was equally affected as the second wave of Covid-19 was scaring, thereby negatively affecting the resource envelop.

"Covid-19 is a real threat to Zambia’s tourism sector and there is a high risk that many firms will shut down and disappear.

“Zambia’s travel and tourism industry, which had shown signs of growth in recent years, is now being negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic," Mr Chiwele said.

He said with the Tourism and Hospitality Act No. 13 of 2015, the country has seen considerable political will.

"The administrative bottlenecks such as the cumbersome process of obtaining a license and the numerous licenses have been a major constraint to the growth of the sector," Mr Chiwele said.

Mr Chiwele said the situation was likely to worsen in the face of the second wave of Covid-19.

Government, he said, was engaging with the tourism sector players to address some of the longstanding challenges and more recent pressing challenges.

"The Zambian government is also considering consolidating its licensing process into a one-stop-shop so as to facilitate the entry of new firms into the sector especially after Covid-19,"Mr Chiwele said.