• The Ministry is very confident that tourists will start trickling back into the country.
• Owners of tourism establishment must take advantage of the incentives put in place by Government.
• There is need to have the right behavior by all staff in the tourism space.

Ministry of Tourism and Arts says it has started preparations of tourists’ return to Zambia following the announcement of the roll out of the Covid 19 vaccine.

Speaking during a workshop on Implementation of Incentive measures for the tourism sector, Director-Tourism Lillian Bwalya said the Ministry is very confident that tourists will start trickling back into the country following the roll out of the jab.

Ms. Banda called on owners of tourism establishments to take advantage of the incentives that Government has put in place through the Ministry of Finance to mitigate the negative effects of the pandemic.

She said, “the department looks forward to further collaboration with the operators so that they are fully trained on several facets like Customer care, Hospitality Etiquettes among other values for the sector.”

And Zambezi Association of Tour Operators (ZATO) Chairperson Maxwell Masempela said the workshop comes as a ray of hope for the sector.

Mr. Masempela stated that the workshop is a first step to prepare for the return of tourists to Zambia and that customer service and Etiquettes are focal points for happy tourists who want to enjoy their visit.

He said, “there is also need to have the right behavior by all staff in the tourism space.”

Meanwhile, Waterfalls Hotel General Manager Tamika Mwale noted that the workshop is an eye opener and a privilege for operators that attended both physically and virtually across the country.

She stated that, “operators need the training as they prepare to reopening their facilities to tourists.”