Zambia

Review and Development of National Tourism Policy for Zambia

What: Worked with the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources and industry stakeholders to review and develop a new National Tourism Policy.

The Tourism Policy was approved in 1997, but over the last decade the tourism sector witnessed many changes. Some of the key changes included a shift from a traditional emphasis on wildlife-based leisure tourism to growth in business tourism. This has resulted in increased meeting, incentive, conference, and exhibition (MICE) tourism, which has become an important source of income for hotels and service providers. Simultaneously, the focus of tourism accommodation has shifted from wildlife lodges and camps to hotels, motels and guesthouses.

There has also been an increase in emphasis on the management of protected areas, which still form a major part of Zambia’s tourist attractions. While the Government previously maintained a policy to protect national parks and game management areas from speculative tourism property developments, more recently there has been a notable increased in interest in the sustainable commercialization of Zambia’s protected areas.

Results:

• Detailed review and analysis of the Tourism Policy, Tourism Hospitality Act and other documentation. This analysis included consideration of economic, socio cultural issues, infrastructure development, business environment, promotion of domestic tourism, product development and tourism potential utilisation, Zambia’s competitiveness as a tourist destination, marketing, environmental mainstreaming, tourism statistics and information, institutional arrangements, poverty challenges, and human and natural resources.
• Report on best practices in national tourism policies in the region and globally, thus providing lessons from the experience of other countries.
• Stakeholders working group was formed to review the existing Policy.
• Draft Tourism Policy was submitted to Parliamentary Committees for integration into overall policy work.