‘Explore Zambia’s vast tourism products’

THE Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) has urged Zambians to consider exploring the country’s vast tourism products unlike leaving tourism to foreign tourists and other visitors from other countries.
Ms Makungu said Zambians should start enjoying the same facilities which were being enjoyed by foreign tourists and other visitors to supplement efforts of promoting domestic tourism.
She said tourism destinations would not be successful if local people did not appreciate tourism in their locality.
Ms Makungu was speaking in Livingstone yesterday at Civic Centre  during the commemorations for this year’s World Tourism Day whose theme was Tourism and Water: Protecting Our Common Future.
“Many people here in Livingstone have never been to Mosi-oa-tunya National Park, Livingstone Museum and Victoria Falls and yet these places are admired by tourists and other visitors across the globe.
“As ZTB, we take pleasure in seeing the community participating and appreciating tourism activities in the country,” Ms Makungu said.
She said ZTB would soon start undertaking activities which would enable Zambians to enjoy tourism activities and facilities in the country.
Officiating at the same function, Livingstone District Commissioner Omar Munsanje said tourism was one of the largest economic sectors in the world.
In a speech read for him by Livingstone District Administrative Officer Harriet Kawina, Mr Munsanje said companies should invest in water management as water was an important element of the
tourist sector.
Ministry of Tourism and arts standards officer Frank Mtolo said the World Tourism Day was an international event under the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) chairperson Active Monze said water was an important asset in the tourist sector.
Mr Monze, however, said it was important for residents and tourists to have clean water as polluted water was dangerous to human health.
Meanwhile, Copperbelt Province yesterday joined the rest of the country to commemorate the World Tourism Day.
Provincial Minister Mwenya Musenge said this year’s World Tourism Day presented a unique opportunity to raise awareness of tourism’s role to water access.
Mr Musenge said this in a speech read on his behalf by Ndola District Administrative Officer Taphen Muloongo at the celebrations held at Ndola’s Boating Club.
Mr Musenge said water was key to sustainable development and critical for environmental integrity, eradication of poverty and hunger in Zambia and Africa as a whole.