Visits to a number of Zambia’s tourist spots this year revealed that they have continued to attract local visitors amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Families as well as individuals from different communities in Zambia are making it a point to visit wildlife spaces and a number of attraction sites in the country.
According to the National Heritage Conservation Commission of Zambia, tourist destinations in the country have seen an increase in the number of local visitors.
“There is an increase in the number of locals visiting places like the Victoria Falls and other tourist attraction sites dotted in other parts of the country,” said the commission’s information and public relations manager Isaac Kanguya.
Kanguya added that the development has greatly helped to ensure that many local tourism initiatives stay afloat at a time when international travelers who make up a large proportion of Zambia’s tourists have been unable to travel because of the COVID-19 restrictions.
And Livingstone Tourism Association vice-chairperson Hillary Kashempa said more Zambians are trekking to the country’s tourist capital to visit the various tourist sites in Livingstone.
Lodges and other accommodation facilities for visitors in Livingstone are usually fully booked during holidays, according to Kashempa.
“That tells you that more locals are visiting the tourist capital. Not only is it good for the survival of Livingstone’s economy which depends on tourism to thrive but also for the entire country’s tourism sector,” he noted.
Lovemore Chendela, a resident of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital pointed out that Zambians are beginning to realize the importance of visiting places of touristic nature.
The 25-year-old who was at the time of the interview at Munda Wanga Botanical Gardens located in the southern part of Lusaka, where he had gone with some of his family members implored others to make it a habit to visit tourist places with family or friends.
“It does not cost that much to visit such places. The more people make visits to wildlife sanctuaries and heritage sites, the more it becomes a normal undertaking for individuals,” Chendela asserted.
Chembe Siwale, a resident, urged tour operators in Zambia to come up with affordable packages for families noting that doing so would encourage families in Zambia to visit tourist destinations.
“Some children have no idea what wild animals look like because they have never been to a zoo or a wildlife park. Family packages would help children to appreciate tourism at an early age,” Siwale said. Enditem
