TOURISM MINISTER CHALLENGES NEW ZTA BOARD



Lusaka, 9th May 2026


Minister of Tourism Rodney Sikumba has urged newly appointed board members of the Zambia Tourism Agency to work in harmony and provide strategic leadership that will help advance Zambia’s tourism transformation agenda.


Mr Sikumba stated


that the board must not operate in isolation but in collaboration with government, the private sector, communities, and other stakeholders to grow the sector.


Speaking during the inauguration ceremony of the new ZTA board in Lusaka, the minister said tourism has become one of Zambia’s most strategic economic sectors under the leadership of President Hakainde Hichilema and is expected to play a major role in job creation, investment attraction, economic diversification, and foreign exchange earnings.


The minister noted that the tourism sector has recorded significant growth over the past few years, with international tourist arrivals increasing from just over one million in 2022 to approximately 2.2 million in 2024 and further rising to about 2.3 million arrivals in 2025.


He said the recovery demonstrates that Zambia is becoming more visible, competitive, and attractive on the global tourism market following deliberate government interventions such as improved destination marketing, enhanced international engagements, domestic tourism promotion, increased air accessibility, and improved investor confidence.


The minister stressed the need for Zambia to aggressively market itself through digital platforms, strategic international partnerships, media collaborations, and global destination campaigns such as the brand Zambia campaign in order to compete effectively with other international tourism destinations.


He also challenged the new board to strengthen destination marketing, improve standards and compliance, promote digital transformation, attract investment, and support the growth of tourism’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.


And the ministry's Permanent Secretary Mr Evans Muhanga said the inauguration of the new board came at a critical time when Zambia’s tourism sector continues to record strong growth and increased global recognition.


He noted that government has continued to promote diversification within the tourism industry through the growth of cultural tourism, heritage tourism, eco tourism, community tourism, sports tourism, and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism.


Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Zambia Tourism Agency, Ms Abigail Shansonga, said the agency remains committed to marketing Zambia as a tourism destination of choice while also ensuring effective regulation of the sector through licensing, standards and compliance enforcement.


Ms Shansonga said the first quarter of 2026 had been positive for both the agency and the tourism sector, with the agency participating in major international tourism marketing platforms such as Meetings Africa, OTM, ITB Berlin, and Indaba preparatory engagements aimed at increasing Zambia’s visibility in global source markets.


She said the agency has also intensified digital marketing campaigns, destination content development, media engagements, and strategic partnerships to strengthen Zambia’s international tourism brand.


Ms Shansonga added that the “Take a Holiday Yamu Loko” campaign continues to gain momentum locally, with increasing participation from the private sector and growing interest among Zambians in domestic travel experiences.


Ms Shansonga expressed confidence that the newly inaugurated board will provide the strategic guidance and oversight needed to support government’s vision of building a competitive, inclusive, sustainable, and globally recognised tourism sector.

This is according to a statement issued by Ministry of Tourism Principal Public Relations Officer Nelly Banda.



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