• Domestic tourism reduced but for some tourist sites there was an increase.
• Both inbound and domestic traffic was down at all airports.
• Victoria Falls started on a good note with domestic tourists reaching a total of 85,414 visitors.

The Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) says the country’s domestic tourism recorded a reduction in certain tourist sites in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Agency Communication and Corporate Affairs Manager Betty Mumba however noted that there was a minimal increase in some sites like the Victoria Falls which started on a good note compared to 2019.
Ms. Mumba said both inbound and domestic traffic was down at all airports as the total commercial air traffic excluding charter flights recorded at 4 international airports in 2020 was 264,270, down by 70.7% when compared to 2019 with 902,572.
She attributed the increase in domestic arrivals to the Agency’s desire to push for local tourism.
“Domestic tourism reduced but for some tourist sites, there was an increase, although minimal, when compared to 2019. Both inbound and domestic traffic was down at all airports. The total commercial air traffic (excluding charter flights) recorded at 4 international airports in 2020 was 264,270, down by 70.7% when compared to 2019 with 902,572.”
“The Victoria Falls started on a good note in 2020 with domestic tourists reaching a total of 85,414 visitors, split between domestic 74, 782 and 10, 632 internationals. The increase in domestic arrivals was due to the desire by the Zambia Tourism Agency to push for domestic tourism under the newly launched theme “Take a holiday, have it Local.” In 2019, the site recorded 151,644 tourists’ arrivals at the falls,” Ms. Mumba said.
Ms. Mumba also observed that international tourist arrivals dropped from 1.2 million in 2019 to about 400, 000 in 2020 due to the pandemic, representing a negative 66% drop and within the range predicted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“The Zambian tourism industry has not been spared by the effects of COVID-19 with international tourist arrivals dropping from 1,209,898 in 2019 to 411, 401 in 2020, a -66% plunge and within the range predicted by UNWTO.”
“According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, the collapse in international travel represents an estimated loss of USD 1.3 trillion in export revenues, more than 11 times the loss recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis. The crisis has put between 100 and 120 million direct tourism jobs at risk, many of them in small and medium-sized enterprises,” she stated.