Zambian diplomat says innovation could save tourism after Covid-19
Zambian high commissioner to South Africa Jackson Miti has called for increased innovation within Zambia’s tourism sector to ensure the survival of the industry amid the debilitating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in that country. Miti made the remarks at the Zambian High Commission in Pretoria.
It was necessary to adopt new strategies and technologies which could ensure that Zambia’s tourism sector, which was the country’s major foreign currency earner before the pandemic, stayed afloat, he said. “It is important for Zambia to switch to strategies that would continue to attract tourists to help boost the economy and save jobs in the sector previously threatened by Covid-19. The tourism sector is bound to be one of Zambia’s major income earners once the global pandemic is effectively managed, as the country has much to offer owing to its cultural and natural resources diversity,” Miti said.
He urged high commission staff to effectively market Zambia’s tourism packages, which included waterfalls, wildlife, and mass mammal migrations, among others, using online platforms and other innovations as a new normal.
Landlocked Zambia is famous for its rugged terrain and diverse wildlife. On its border with Zimbabwe is one of the famed seven wonders of the world, the mighty Victoria Falls – indigenously called Mosi-oa-Tunya, or "Smoke That Thunders” – where roaring water plunges a misty 108 metres into the narrow Batoka Gorge.
Bedevilled by the Covid-19 pandemic and a massive plunge in commodity prices, the world's second-largest copper producer announced in November that the country would no longer pay creditors, and the prices of basic goods began to increase.
