By ANDREW MUKOMA
UPND Livingstone Parliamentary candidate Rodney Sikumba says that development of tourist capital is premised on a booming tourism industry which can revive the city.
Mr Sikumba said that it was for that reason that he would prioritise tourism and agriculture as the major drivers that had potential of reclaiming the city’s status if voted into office on August 12, this year.
He said therefore that Livingstone Constituency required a parliamentary representative who has the passion for the tourism sector in order to spearhead its stimulation.
Mr Sikumba told the Daily Nation of the need to maintain Livingstone as a tourism destination and that only Zambians would make that happen under the Covid-19 pandemic.
“If I am voted into office as a Member of Parliament, I will spend my first 100 days in asking my fellow MPs to create Livingstone as a destination. The development of Livingstone is premised on Tourism andyou cannot divorce that.
“It is undoubtedly that since the outbreak of the Covid-19, the number of visitors at the fall has been decreasing. This is because most of our targeted tourists have been affected by the pandemic due to travel restrictions,” he said.
However, Mr Sikumba said that it would be unfair for any person to state that tourism in Livingstone was pathetic as suggested by Socialist Party candidate Aggfrey Brill during a public debate last week.
Mr Sikumba said, as someone who led the Livingstone Tourism Association (LTA) for a number of years, he understood the dynamics required to revive the industry in the tourist capital.
He said that Zambians have the responsibility of promoting domestic tourism without depending on foreign visitors.
