Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) says implementation of the Covid-19 Safety Protocols by players in the sector has been impressive.
Agency Communication and Corporate Affairs Manager Betty Mumba told Money FM News in an interview that from the time the protocols were launched earlier this year, the response from the private sector has been overwhelming.
Ms. Mumba said the protocols serve as a guide on how the private sector especially the accommodation sub-sector are going to conduct their businesses in terms of meetings, conferences and events, while observing Covid-19 health regulations.
She disclosed that when the Agency launched the Covid-19 protocols, an application was made to the World Tourism Travel Council (WTTC), for the safe travel seal, which was later given to Zambia to validate the country as a safe destination.
“From the time we launched the protocols earlier in the year, the response from the private sector has really been good, because as you know that Protocols save as a guideline on how the private sector especially the accommodation sub-sector are going to conduct their businesses in terms of meetings, conferences and events, even when they are receiving guests.”
“The Protocols outlined how businesses were going to conduct conferences, I can just give an example, if a conference venue would take 200 people before Covid, with the Covid protocols, it will detail that now you can only take about 100 people because you have to observe that. When we launched the Covid-19 protocols, we applied to the World Tourism Travel Council (WTTC) for the safe travel seal. So when the safe travel seal was given to us, it means we validated the destination as a safe destination,” Ms. Mumba stated.
She urged the private sector to run side by side the Covid-19 safety protocols.

And Ms. Mumba said the protocols developed by the Agency were meant for the nation, and hotels also established their own protocols, hence the two parties have been complimenting each other.
“So once we are happy that this operator is implementing the things that are in the national Covid-19 protocols produced by ZTA, we are also issuing them with the safe travel stamp, so that they also start advertising their lodge both domestically and internationally. And also this comes with the good news when we received the endorsement as Zambia being the fourth safest country to visit during Covid-19 by the international Media blog Wego, so we are very happy,” she added.
The Covid-19 Safety protocols for the Tourism Sector were launched on 22nd September, 2020 by Minister of Tourism and Arts Ronald Chitotela to signal the full resumption of the tourism sector across the country.
Stakeholders in the sector have therefore, through adoption of the protocols, taken responsibility of ensuring that destination Zambia is safe for tourism business.