By NATION REPORTER
GOVERNMENT has called on tourism operators to partner with it to reduce the cost of domestic tourism in Zambia after the Covid-19 outbreak.
Tourism and Arts Minister Ronald Chitotela said there was need for a ‘give and take’ situation if Government was to drop taxes like the corporate tax for the industry to get motivated.
Mr Chitotela said the operators should also see what they could give to the Zambian people so that domestic tourism could be boosted.
Speaking during an interview on Lusaka’s Kwithu FM yesterday, Mr Chitotela said this would work well as an incentive for local citizens to tour the tourism offerings of the country as they stand a chance to pay a half rate in accommodation facilities.
He said he wanted the Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) to change their marketing strategy by moving away from relying on scheduled international calendar events like expos and exhibitions.
Mr Chitotela said he appreciated the importance of international tourism but that domestic tourism would be key in the revitalisation of the sector after the Covid 19-pandemic.
He said this would be the easy way out to sell what the country had to offer to the international market.
“International tourists will appreciate more about the country and see the need to visit if the local citizens can understand and tell them where to go,” said Mr Chitotela.
The Minister cited the Liuwa Plain National Park and the Victoria Falls as acclaimed international tourist attractions that Zambia could easily sell to the outside world.
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