Zambia can be hub for conference tourism – Lemba

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 11:12:38 +0000

By MAILESI BANDA

ZAMBIA has the potential to become a hub and choice destination for the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) industry in the Southern African region, Proflight director of Government and industry affairs, Philip Lemba, has said.

Captain Lemba said an increase in activity in the MICE industry, which represents an important segment of the tourism sector focusing on business events and activities, held ample opportunities for the country’s tourism sector.

“Zambia’s central location leads to various tourist attractions and untouched natural landscape, existing businesses and opportunities for investment, made it a strong contender in the MICE industry,” he said.

He said the airlines domestic and regional flight network served to connect both business and leisure travellers to their destinations.

He said this made it a vital component in making the industry a success through providing accessible, quick and affordable mobility.

He noted that Proflight’s domestic and regional flight network served to connect both business and leisure travellers to their destinations, which was a vital component in making the industry a success through providing accessible, quick and affordable movement.

“Tourism has been the cornerstone of Proflight’s focus and value. The MICE industry has added a growing new dimension to the sector and with it the capacity to attract a large number of visitors, both business and leisure, some with an extended stay period in the country,’’ he said.

He said there was need to encourage more conference delegates to take the extra time to explore more of their destinations, especially given that such activities were now being factored into meeting structures and event programmes.

He explained that Proflight had been a keen promoter of the local tourism sector and a key player in facilitating international travel into and around the country.

He said the airline works in partnership with Government, including the Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA), and other stakeholders in the wider sector to promote domestic tourism across the country as well as connect international tourists to Zambia.

“In order to reap the full benefits from Zambia’s tourism industry, stakeholders from various industries such as aviation, hospitality, sports, mining, accounting, banking and finance need to come together in relevant partnerships and MICE provides a platform to do that,” he said.