MALUPENGA

By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA
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THE Government has said  tourism development and promotion should
be included in strategic plans if they are to make a  meaningful
contribution to the industry.
Tourism and Arts Permanent Secretary Stephen Mwansa recommended that the tourism development and promotion be included in local Government strategic plans in order to achieve the desired results.
Mr Mwansa praised the Zambia Tourism Board (ZTB) for implementing a tourism development initiative for Zambian civic authorities.
Speaking at the start of a bench marking tour of Kwazulu Natal by
Zambian mayors and town planners in Durban recently, Mr Mwansa said the initiative by ZTB would afford Zambian local authorities a rare
opportunity to have first hand information on tourism from their South
African counterparts.
Mr Mwansa said the ZTB programme for City Fathers had added value to
Zambia’s participation at this year’s INDABA — Tourism Fair and urged
participants to take advantage of the tour in order to fully
appreciate their role in the development and promotion of tourism.
Luapula Province Permanent Secretary Chanda Kasolo said local authorities should look at tourism as a serious business requiring well-thought-out business plans and strategies.
Mr Kasolo said there was no need to ‘re-invent the wheel’ when Zambia
could learn from success stories in tourism like South Africa.
The permanent secretary said Zambia had what it took to challenge
South Africa to ‘the most sought after destination in Africa’ title
but added that this required concerted efforts from all stakeholders
North Western Province Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga said
time had come for Zambia to go beyond the ‘Sleeping Giant’ status by
ensuring that Zambia’s tourism potential was fully tapped. 
Mr Malupenga urged the local authorities to carefully study the
Kwazulu Natal tourism model in order to determine what works and what
doesn’t.
The Zambia Tourism Board sees local authorities as critical partners,
especially in the promotion of Domestic Tourism and the bench marking
trip is one of the capacity building initiatives that the Board has
embarked on to steer tourism growth.
Participants attended  presentations by various stakeholders in Kwazulu Natal after which they had conducted tours of council-run facilities such as stadia, convention centres, hotels, lodges, museums and eateries.
Their tour will  culminate into a visit to the INDABA tourism fair
where the Zambian team would see the Kwazulu Natal municipal stands.
The team who  participated  in the bench marking tour included mayors and planning directors from Ndola, Kitwe, Solwezi and Livingstone City
councils.