TOURISM BOARD OF ZAMBIA CHAIRMAN MR. TIMOTHY MUSHIMBWE HAS CALLED FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN THE SECTOR IF ITS CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE GROWTH OF THE COUNTRY’S ECONOMY IS TO BE ENHANCED.
MR. MUSHIMBWE STATES THAT THE TOURISM INDUSTRY GLOBALLY IS THE FASTEST GROWING INDUSTRY BUT THE COUNTRY’S CURRENT LEVELS OF EARNINGS FROM THE SECTOR OF 300 MILLION DOLLARS IN GROSS TERMS ARE NOT ENOUGH HENCE NEED FOR MORE INVESTMENT.
HE TOLD RADIO PHOENIX THAT UNLESS THE COUNTRY PUTS IN PLACE THE NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE AND PLATFORM FOR THE INVESTORS TO PARTICIPATE, THE TOURISM SECTOR WILL CONTINUE TO BE CONSTRAINED.
MR. MUSHIMBWE NOTED THAT THE BED SPACE WHICH IS CURRENTLY AT 12,000 WILL HAVE TO BE GROWN AS WELL AS OPENING UP OTHER AREAS IN THE COUNTRY BY PUTTING UP THE NECESSARY INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS ROADS AND AIRPORTS.
THE TOURISM SECTOR, WHICH HAS EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF VISITORS DUE TO MISFORTUNES IN NEIGHBORING ZIMBABWE, WAS ALLOCATED K63.3 BILLION IN THE 2011 NATIONAL BUDGET WITH THE FOCUS ON ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT.
FOR THESE DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS, THE KAFUE AND LUSAKA NATIONAL PARKS GOT K37.7 BILLION AND ANOTHER K26.6 BILLION WENT FOR THE MARKETING OF TOURISM SITES.
ENDS/////////
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